Ploy alleged ‘to destabilise the NFP’

THE National Freedom Party says fraud and corruption charges laid against a senior KwaZulu-Natal party official were part of an internal plot to destabalise the party’s election campaign in the province.

Party national spokesperson Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam said the party was concerned that the criminal charges laid at the Pietermaritzburg Central police station earlier this month would affect the party’s election campaign.

“For over 20 times I have been requesting the written proof (of the allegations), but I have received nothing. There is absolutely no evidence provided thus far.

“But there is a cabal that is deliberately making sure to destabilise us so that the NFP does not contest the elections,” said Emam.

Speaking to Independent Media yesterday the man accused said the case against him was “nothing but a ploy” to prevent him from retaining his position in the provincial legislature.

“The case was opened by an individual instead of the party. This is something that doesn’t hold water, but this is a ploy to prevent me from retaining my provincial legislature seat,” said the accused.

He was reacting to a criminal complaint that he had embezzled party funds.

One of the complainants, Erikson Zungu, said the accused started looting the money in 2016 using his power within the party and in the provincial legislature.

The accused, who is also the party’s financial accounting officer in the provincial legislature, said he had nothing to do with the disappearance of funds. He said police had earlier this month informed him about charges laid against him.

“They want the party to go to the list conference with my name tainted as they are aggrieved that I have been nominated by all districts in KwaZulu-Natal,” said the accused.

He described charges against him as mere fabrication.” “These are the same people who had been spreading rumours that I bewitched the party president (ailing Zanele Magwaza-Msibi),” said the accused.

Magwaza-Msibi has been out of the spotlight since she suffered a stroke late in 2014.

A senior provincial NFP member, who declined to be named, said the province had asked the national office to deal with the matter.

Zungu said there had been attempts by the party’s national leadership to force him and other complainants to drop the charges against the accused.

“Members of the interim national executive committee told us that the president (Magwaza-Msibi) had on Monday expressed concern that the case is going to affect the party.

“But our concern is that while we keep accusing the ANC of corruption, we protect our own leaders who are also corrupt. We are not withdrawing the case,” said Zungu.