Durban - Minority Front (MF) leader, Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, will fight attempts by party members to oust her.
She vowed on Monday to take her party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to court if the body decided to enforce resolutions to remove the leader from the provincial legislature and chair of the NEC.
In a letter addressed to Vasavan Samuel, who chaired the dispute resolution committee, Thakur-Rajbansi’s lawyer, Anesh Maharaj, told the NEC of his client’s instruction to seek a court interdict should the members decide to enforce the resolutions of the meeting.
In the letter, Maharaj said the NEC had no power to convene NEC meetings without the chairwoman.
“A court order granted on December 10, 2013, regulates the functioning of the MF where our client remained party leader and chairwoman of the NEC. Our client disputes the authority of the persons convening the purported NEC meeting of January 25, 2015,” said the letter.
It said Thakur-Rajbansi disputed all the allegations.
“Should you intend enforcing any resolution/s of your gathering, you are invited to inform us accordingly to enable us to proceed with our instructions. Your failure to do so shall warrant an urgent application against you by our client,” said the letter.
Through her lawyers, Thakur-Rajbansi said when the meeting, which decided her fate, was convened, she was in India to receive an award.
“The so-called resolutions which you passed at your gathering (NEC meeting) shall be disregarded with the contempt they deserve by my client.
“Should you attempt to enforce any resolutions passed at your gathering, my instructions are to then seek an interdict against you and those responsible for such unlawful actions and my client’s right to seek an adverse court order against you remains fully reserved.
“You likewise are challenged to proceed to court to obtain any order which you may deem necessary to give effect to your so-called resolutions.”
On Monday, party spokesman, Patrick Pillay, said the NEC held a disciplinary inquiry on Thakur-Rajbansi on Friday at which she was charged in absentia for bringing the party into disrepute, showing contempt and undermining the authority and respect of the party, failure to disclose the party’s financial affairs and preventing the NEC from obtaining access to financial information.
Pillay said Thakur-Rajbansi failed to avail herself of the opportunity to defend the charges. She was found guilty. Asked if the party could afford legal fees to counter Thakur-Rajbansi’s court action should it get to that, Pillay said they had no access to party funds, but would do what it took to face the possible action.
Daily News