COUNCIL SPEAKER ACCUSED OF ‘RACIST’ OUTBURST

But DA sees ploy in allegations

AN EMPLOYEE has pressed criminal charges against the speaker of DA-led Mookgophong/Modimolle local municipality after he allegedly called him a “corrupt k***ir like President Jacob Zuma”.

Thabo Maake, an administrative clerk at the municipality, opened a

case against council speaker Johann Abrie after the alleged verbal attack took place at the Modimolle police station on Sunday evening.

Maake said the trouble started when he and a colleague, Moses Mfeka, were arrested on charges of cable theft that evening.

He said a cable belonging to the municipality was discovered at his home after Mfeka, an assistant artisan at the council, had asked to store it there temporarily.

Maake said they were both released the following morning after municipal records indicated that Mfeka had taken out the cable to fix an electrical problem at one of the local stands.

Maake said while they were at the police station Abrie started insulting him.

“He said you k**rs are all corrupt thieves like your president Jacob Zuma,” Maake said.

He said Abrie also accused him of being useless.

“I’m not happy about this. I want him to explain what he meant when he compared me to President Jacob Zuma. I want to know why I was called a useless k**r,” Maake said.

Abrie, however, dismissed the allegations yesterday, saying they were part of a political ploy by disgruntled senior council officials.

Abrie said he had been called in to identify Maake as a suspect in the cable theft case. He said he was in the process of obtaining statements from four witnesses that would show that the alleged racial incident never happened.

“Those affidavits will reveal that I never even spoke to Maake personally. This is a political ploy by senior officials particular those we are investigating for corruption,” Abrie said.

He said he believed Maake was not even behind the whole thing and was being used to discredit him.

Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed that a case was opened after Abrie allegedly insulted Maake inside the police cells.

“The suspect allegedly went into the cells and started swearing at him,” Ngoepe said.

Mfeka, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said they spent the night in police cells but were released without appearing in court after the charges were dropped. “We did nothing wrong. This is just racist abuse,” Mfeka said.

Yesterday mayor Marlene van Staden said she was aware of the allegations against Abrie. Van Staden said she referred the matter to the Democratic Alliance’s federal executive committee for further investigation.

DA provincial leader, Jacques Smalle, confirmed that the party was investigating the matter and said they regarded the allegations in a very serious light.

Smalle said Abrie had met the DA’s legal team and had cooperated with the investigation.

He added that the party would be able to take appropriate steps once their investigation was concluded.

Smalle said they were also beginning to wonder whether the allegations were linked with recent threats to discredit the offices of the mayor and the speaker by disgruntled council officials.

“Since the party took over the municipality, there have been attempts by some officials not to work with the DA.

“One can only wonder if there is a link,” Smalle said.

Mfeka and Maake said they were ANC members.

Spokesman for the ANC in the province, Aluwani Netsianda, confirmed that they were aware of the case but said allegations of a political ploy to destabilise the DA in the municipality were false.

Netsianda said the party was disturbed by reports of alleged racism, adding that they would allow court processes to determine whether the allegations were true or false.

The DA won Mookgophong/Modimolle municipality from the ANC in the local government elections in August after taking over critical seats in the council.

“ You k***rs are all corrupt thieves like your president