Cape Town - Troubled DA regional head in the Western Cape Jaco Londt has taken a two-month leave of absence after the party's Federal Executive (Fedex) instituted disciplinary action against him over allegations of verbal abuse.
Londt is in hot water following a barrage of complaints lodged by DA members.
DA federal executive chairman James Selfe said Londt was served with a notice of intention to suspend him last week and was given until close of business on Wednesday to make representations as to why he should not be suspended.
The envisaged suspension was from his position as regional chairman and constituency head, and not his position as a member of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
According to Selfe, Londt made representations through his attorney who suggested that instead of suspending him, Londt be allowed to take leave from these duties for a period of 60 days.
“The Federal Executive accepted this sensible solution at its telephone conference on Friday October 7, and this was communicated to his attorney,” Selfe said.
While the executive did not reveal what the charges against Londt were, party insiders said several members came forward claiming Londt was verbally abusive and rude.
But supporters of Londt claimed he was being targeted by “inside rivals” set on getting rid of him.
“Politics in the southern Cape is no walk in the park and once you upset or move the players you have a target on your back,” one member said.
Fedex earlier said the intention to suspend Londt was a precautionary measure to prevent him making contact with potential witnesses in the investigation against him.
Attempts to get comment from Londt were unsuccessful.
* Also in the southern Cape, the ANC’s beleaguered regional secretary Major Sokopo has stepped aside from his position until the criminal proceedings against him have been resolved.
Sokopo, 42, with his co-accused Ndileka Mfunda, 49, appeared in the George Magistrate's Court last week on charges of theft and fraud in contravention ofthe VAT Act, and the Tax Administration Act.
The pair is accused of defrauding several local municipalities and the SA Revenue Services (Sars) of over R16 million.
Sokopo said he told the regional leadership on Saturday of his decision to step aside until the matter was resolved, and his decision was communicated to the full regional executive committee on Tuesday.
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said the regional leadership in the southern Cape was dealing with the matter.
“The regional leadership will make recommendations to the provincial executive committee on Saturday during its next sitting in Cape Town,” Jacobs added.
The SA Communist Party (SACP) in the province entered the fray, calling on the ANC provincial leadership to immediately act against Sokopo.
“We firmly believe he should step aside until such charges are cleared. We believe the charges he is facing are damning, hence he should be afforded an opportunity to deal with such accusations as an ordinary citizen, not as a leader of our alliance structure,” SACP spokesman, Masonwabe Sokoyi said.
Sokoyi said the SACP was putting forward the position not to disrespect a leader of the alliance in the province, but to ensure their observations contained in their September Provincial Council declaration found resonance.
“As the SACP, we also find the glaring level of inconsistency emanating from the current leadership of the ANC in the province as unacceptable.
“We further find that the current posture and approach to this matter, as recently articulated in a statement released by the office of the ANC's provincial secretary, as deeply factional and completely antagonistic to the principles of the ANC.”
The SACP used the recent resolutions taken by the ANC's National Executive Committee - which highlighted the urgent need to deal with the scourges of factionalism, disunity, and corruption, to drum up support.
Cape Argus