Vote as you see fit, says Zille to DA

Cape Town-120830-Press conference in which Helen Zille responded to the ANCYL's allegations regarding the DA and the Western Cape-Reporter-Nontando-Photographer Tracey Adams

Cape Town-120830-Press conference in which Helen Zille responded to the ANCYL's allegations regarding the DA and the Western Cape-Reporter-Nontando-Photographer Tracey Adams

Published Nov 14, 2012

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Cape Town - DA leader Helen Zille has said that no one in her party instructs anyone else on how to vote for positions. She was speaking in Parliament on Tuesday after welcoming former Cope MP Nosimo Balindlela to the DA.

She said people were free to lobby or endorse whomever they wanted because the DA had an open system.

A wrangle has broken out in the DA in the lead-up to party elections. Masizole Mnqasela, an MP and the party’s home affairs spokesman, is challenging Wilmot James for the post of federal chairman in the elections on November 25.

On Sunday, he filed a complaint with the chairman of the party’s federal executive, James Selfe.

Selfe said former Western Cape DA leader Theuns Botha had sent a letter “enjoining people to support Wilmot James, and asking people to confirm they would support him”.

“The other candidate believes this constitutes intimidation,” said Selfe.

He said he had given Botha an opportunity to respond.

Mnqasela said he felt that Botha’s letter had “undermined democracy”, and he had thus lodged a formal complaint.

Cape Argus

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