DA turmoil as Ntuli charged
THE DA decision to press disciplinary charges against its former youth leader, Mbali Ntuli, has thrown the party into a quagmire.
The independent disciplinary body that presided over the investigations into Ntuli’s conduct has stuck to its guns that there was no case against her.
Ntuli was accused of liking a social media post that said former DA leader Helen Zille was a racist.
Despite recommendations not to charge her, the party’s federal executive committee – which consists of provincial leaders, among others – charged Ntuli.
It has emerged that the party was disciplining Ntuli for the sake of being seen to be consistent and managing the backlash from supporters of its controversial MP Dianne Kohler Barnard and former DA leader Zille.
With the party’s federal council meeting set for Durban next month, DA leader Mmusi Maimane has called for mediation between Ntuli and Zille.
Ntuli’s case has also lifted the lid on the fissures between Zille’s and Maimane’s supporters, who believe Ntuli has become the subject of a witchhunt.
Last Friday Ntuli was slapped with five charges, including bringing the DA into disrepute, acting in a manner that harmed its image and opposing party policies.
Yesterday Federal Legal Commission member Alan McLoughlin, who investigated the matter and presented a report to the Federal Executive (FedEx), said he maintained that there was no case against Ntuli.
“I know it sounds contradictory, but now I have to argue against my own recommendations. But what I said about Ntuli is factual stuff. I can’t change that, nobody can change that,” said McLoughlin.
The Federal Legal Commission panel will appoint three members to hear the matter.
“They will hear my side of it, and Ntuli’s side and make their decision. They will have the power to impose some kind of sanction – they could fine her or give her a warning. The worst they could do is terminate her membership of the party,” McLoughlin said.
In the report, dated April 11, McLoughlin said there was insufficient evidence against Ntuli to secure a conviction on misconduct and no further action should be taken against her.
“There is no evidence to support an allegation that Ntuli’s actions publicly opposed the party’s principles or repeatedly opposed published party policies…
“Even if the documentary evidence was augmented… it is unlikely the result would be any different as the facts are all contained in the documentary evidence submitted,” he said.
McLoughlin warned that there would be more harm to the party’s image if it continues with disciplinary action against her and she wins.
But DA federal chairperson James Selfe yesterday said it was important to charge Ntuli for consistency’s sake.
“One of the duties of the federal executive is to maintain consistency. You must remember that we charged Ms Dianne Kohler Barnard for a similar charge and she was severely punished.
“How does one justify charging Ms Kohler Barnard and not Ms Ntuli?”
Selfe conceded that the party’s social media policy should be updated.
Maimane’s spokesperson, Mabine Seabe, said there needed to be mediation between Ntuli and Zille.
“The Federal Legal Commission must facilitate mediation between them because it seems a matter between two people is now being turned into a party matter. An agreement has to be reached between them.”
Seabe said Maimane firmly believed that party decisions, whether by the Federal Legal Commission or FedEx, should be respected.
Ntuli and Zille have had run-ins in the past. The animosity between the two leaders degenerated into a Twitter battle on Tuesday when Zille tweeted: “MBALI was charged LONG before me. Pls get yr facts b4 jumping to false conclusions.”
This led to Ntuli calling Zille out: “No I wasn’t Helen. I was charged on Friday.”
When contacted, Ntuli would not comment. Zille, however, said her and Ntuli’s charges are unrelated.
DA LEADER Mmusi Maimane used his visit to rural Nquthu, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, to lash out at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), accusing the body of stalling on a decision over President Jacob Zuma’s private residence in Nkandla.
Maimane said the money used to build Zuma’s residence had been stolen from South Africans, and that was why the DA had laid a charge with the police.
He said despite the police completing an investigation about two years ago, the NPA had not made a decision on whether or not to prosecute and has claimed that further investigation is needed.
“The NPA doesn’t need any more investigation. Two years down the line, all they need to do is make a decision and get on with the work of holding the president to account because the president must live by the same rules that we all do,” Maimane said.
He accused the NPA of stalling to protect Zuma.
NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said Maimane’s statements were without merit. He said after the initial investigation, the head of the Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit had reviewed the case and felt that the investigation was incomplete and more was needed.
“The discretion of whether or not to prosecute is very powerful and one that cannot be used recklessly. We have to be meticulous in our approach and we can only prosecute where we feel there are prospects of succeeding,” Mfaku said.
He said the NPA had already written to the DA lawyers explaining this and was not going to publicly engage with the party further on the matter.
“We are not politicians, ours (sic) is to conduct criminal investigations on behalf of the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, also campaigning in Nquthu was ANC presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. She handed over a house to a destitute family in ward 13 and later addressed a cadres’ forum.
She told members that any attack on President Zuma was an attack on the ANC.
Maimane’s visit to Nquthu, about 100 kilometres away from Zuma’s hometown of Nkandla, formed part of the DA’s ongoing campaign in the area ahead of next week’s by-election. He went on a door-to-door campaign urging residents to vote for the DA.
The by-election was necessitated by the dissolution of the local municipal council earlier this year. This was after failed attempts to get the council to elect office-bearers, including the mayor.
Nquthu had emerged from last year’s local government elections a hung municipality. The IFP had a slight majority with 15 seats followed by the ANC with 14.
The DA and the EFF each got a seat, while the NFP got two seats. The ANC formed an alliance with the NFP, and the IFP went into an alliance with the DA and the EFF.
After numerous failed attempts to elect office-bearers, the council was dissolved in February this year.
Political parties have been criss-crossing wards in Nquthu campaigning for votes ahead of the by-election to be held on Wednesday next week.
In recent weeks the ANC has rolled out the big guns, including its treasurer general, Zweli Mkhize, secretary general Gwede Mantashe, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and national chairperson Baleka Mbete.
President Jacob Zuma will address a rally in the area on Sunday, while on the same day the IFP will also hold a rally, which will be addressed by its president, Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
IEC provincial spokesperson Thabani Ngwira said he was confident that there would be free and fair elections. “We have engaged the communities, we have engaged all the political parties.
“We have done all the groundwork and so as the commission, we are very confident that the environment will be conducive for a free and fair election”.