Zille supports DA official in cake scandal
WESTERN Cape premier Helen Zille has joined a bun fight raging among political leaders in the province.
She has come out in support of the DA’s provincial party leader and his R3 000 surprise birthday cake.
It has emerged that the cake had been a gift from a contractor to Bonginkosi Madikizela.
He had not declared it because he allegedly had no prior knowledge of the gift.
Acting provincial ANC leader Khaya Magaxa has called on state law enforcement agencies to investigate the allegations against Madikizela.
Magaxa was speaking after Zille penned a column yesterday in defence of Madikizela‚ who is also her close ally‚ claiming the cake debacle had been manufactured to discredit him before the party’s conference in August.
Magaxa implied that Madikizela may have known about his surprise birthday party and expensive cake.
“Madikizela was . . . dressed in a white suit and bow tie‚ [as if he was] attending a lavish event‚” Magaxa said.
Magaxa claimed the saga was more than just about the cake as Madikizela had failed to declare the lavish party to the provincial legislature‚ as required by law.
In a column‚ Zille brushed off the scandal as fake news.
Zille said Madikizela had confirmed claims that Pumla Zantsi‚ a partner in a construction firm doing business with the province‚ had provided the cake.
“Bonginkosi told me he and Pumla . . . had been friends for 20 years‚ from the time they were both activists in Khayelitsha and long before he had even thought of joining the DA.
“I followed all the leads open to me. And I am confident that‚ on the information available‚ there is no more to the story than that.”
She said she would pass on all the information she gathered to assist the public protector’s investigation.