DA councillors in parking bay brawl

DA WARD councillor in George Gert Niehaus was left embarrassed after a brawl in a parking lot with colleague Johan Stander in full view of staff.

The DA is investigating the matter and Niehaus’s family yesterday said a video of the incident had been handed to the police.

Stander allegedly attacked Niehaus for occupying his parking space last week.

Niehaus refused to talk about the incident and said thepolice were dealing with the matter.

He referred all the questions to his wife Malinda.

Malinda said her husband was asked not to have interviews with the media while the matter was being investigated.

She said Niehaus wants the matter to be dealt with swiftly, so he can continue his work for the community.

“The incident was caught on camera and we have submitted it to the police this morning (yesterday).

“It shows that he never swore or lifted a finger on Mr Stander. He just wanted the matter to be concluded so that he could move on.”

“But to assault someone in front of their colleagues was not the way. I think maybe if he had called him into his office and discussed the matter… I don’t know what the issue was because even the parking space was not his. There wasn’t a name to indicate it was reserved and it was a public space.”

Stander refused to comment, saying his future was more than the “message in the newspaper”.

He said the process should be allowed to take place before he commented.

DA Western Cape spokesperson Anneke Scheepers said: “The DA views such incidents in a serious light.

“The matter has therefore been referred for investigation by the relevant party structures.”

Meanwhile, the case involving a DA Fish Hoek ward councillor, Simon Liell Cock, who allegedly broke resident Michael Kerr’s arm, also in a brawl over a parking space, was postponed yesterday.

Kerr charged that the ward 61 councillor had refused to move his car, which he had parked in his parking space before the two were involved in a fight.