Mud flies as DA group lets rip on WhatsApp
IT’S OPEN warfare within the provincial DA with members at each other’s jugulars as the noose around Patricia de Lille’s mayoral career tightens.
The ousting of De Lille has divided the party as those who are in support of her have hit back at the so-called “old guard” of the DA.
Party provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela was on the receiving end of some harsh words from Shaun August, chief whip of the city council, for his alleged lavish birthday party at the One&Only Hotel. August is a close ally of De Lille. The heated words were exchanged on the 14-member DA provincial council’s WhatsApp group.
“Is it not true that your birthday party was paid by someone linked to your Human Settlements Department?
“The said guy owns a game reserve and resides in Limpopo.
“That person does PHP work in Mfuleni and is contracted to your department? Is this true?” asked August in the WhatsApp message.
“Further, that the One&Only Hotel paid partially for the alcohol bill? And that the other part was paid by councillors, for example Angus McKenzie and also a certain personal assistant within the Department of Human Settlements?” he questioned.
“You claim to not have known about your birthday party yet people were at your house constantly updating you.
“You also arrived in full attire for your party. It has been reported, but you failed to answer that your brother, Thobela Madikizela, has tenders from the Western Cape Government,” August said.
Madikizela refused to comment on the allegations made against him.
“I am really not going to respond to the allegations levelled against me in a private group. The content of that email should have been kept confidential,” he said.
Asked if it was De Lille’s supporters who were behind the attack, he laughed and said: “No, no, no. I am not going to speculate about this issue.”
The Western Cape legislature disciplinary committee has been charged with probing a lavish birthday party thrown for Madikizela and whether his acceptance of a R3 000 birthday cake, which he failed to declare, breached ethical guidelines.
First, the chairperson of the legislature’s conduct committee, DA MPL Lennit Max, resigned suddenly in September. The investigation is still ongoing. Anton Bredell, DA provincial chairperson, said the matter would be referred to the party’s national federal executive (FedEx) for investigation.
“The matter will be investigated by national and appropriate action will be taken,” he said.