DA pushes for Naik to resign
The DA's attempt to oust George Mayor Melvin Naik is in full force after the party's local caucus passed a motion of no confidence in the mayor during a meeting on Monday 27 January. Out of the 25 votes cast, 22 voted in favour of the motion and three against it. Two caucus members were absent and one abstained from voting.
The motion of no confidence follows an investigation instigated by the Minister of Local Government, Anton Bredell, which allegedly unearthed evidence of corruption and interference in administrative processes by Naik at the George Municipality. George DA Constituency Head, Geordin Hill-Lewis, who has laid criminal charges against Naik with the George police, said the findings are substantiated by a number of admissions by individuals involved, as well as compelling circumstantial evidence. "There is also evidence that certain relevant documents were withheld from the investigators," he said. Naik has denied all the allegations against him.
Motion matters
The internal process kicked off last week, with the local DA caucus requesting permission from the Federal Executive (FedEx) to discuss and vote on the matter. Hill-Lewis was present at the meeting.
Following the motion of no confidence, FedEx has granted Naik until the end of the week to provide reasons why he should not resign as mayor. On a question for clarity regarding Naik's options, Hill-Lewis said should Naik resign as mayor, he will remain a councillor.
"If he does not resign, he will lose his membership and so will have no elected office."
Naik's response will be sent to the caucus for final consideration. An informed source said the internal DA process could take two weeks, but it is still the quickest way to remove a mayor.
George Herald was told that no motion regarding the mayor's position has been submitted for the council meeting scheduled for today, 30 January.
Should a motion to oust Naik serve in Council, the DA (28 councillors) will need the support of the opposition parties for a majority vote of 27 - with a total of 53 councillors not something they can count on.
It is important to note the difference between the two processes. The one currently followed by the DA caucus is an internal party process while the other is a council process.
Hill-Lewis said he is proud of the caucus for being so strong in this stressful time. "They've really shown why they deserve to be DA councillors. They've sent the message around South Africa that corruption will not flourish in the DA."
DA regional chair Jaco Londt said,
"The report is damning. I can't see that any right-thinking councillor serving on the George Council will not act to have the municipality's name restored. This is an appeal to all 53 councillors of all the political parties to support the DA in its efforts to rid the municipality of bad apples."