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Western Cape DA leader Theuns Botha. Photo: Matthew Jordaan
The DA in the Western Cape says it has uncovered an ANC plot to “bribe” DA councillors to defect to the ANC.
The party says it will lay charges with the police on Tuesday against individuals in the ANC.
Provincial DA leader Theuns Botha and DA federal executive chairman James Selfe were to reveal details on Tuesday of “an illegal ANC plot to unseat the DA in a number of municipalities across the Western Cape” shortly after the municipal elections in May.
The DA would lay criminal charges against eight ANC office bearers.
The ANC plan, the DA said, was called Project Reclaim, a name which appeared on a spreadsheet of councillors’ details in the Matzikama, Witzenberg, Langeberg, Breede Valley, Theewaterskloof, Hessequa and Bitou municipalities.
“Project Reclaim is a co-ordinated attempt to bribe DA ward councillors to give up their seats and stand for the ANC in the by-election,” Botha said on Tuesday.
“Any councillor that accepts bribes or attempts to bribe others is in breach of Section 7 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, which prohibits the bribery, both attempted and successful, of municipal councillors.
“The DA will therefore lay charges against all those we suspect have broken the law,” he said.
Explaining further, Botha said: “The results of a five-month DA investigation are contained in a dossier that we will personally be handing to the South African Police Service this afternoon as evidence to be used in a criminal investigation.
“The evidence suggests that, soon after suffering sweeping defeats in the 2011 municipal elections, the provincial ANC leadership compiled a ‘hit list’ of councillors in strategic Western Cape local councils.
Each councillor was to be approached and convinced to resign their seat.
“The Project Reclaim ‘hit list’, marked ‘strictly confidential’ and ‘not for distribution’, targets 11 DA and 16 non-DA councillors in seven municipalities.
“The affidavits and statements we are releasing today (Tuesday) expose how this plot was carried out in municipalities.”
Various DA councillors had backed up the allegations with sworn affidavits, alleging that attempts had been made to bribe them.
Councillor Nevelle de Waal, in Bitou, said in an affidavit: “I just want to report from the week after the elections the ANC approached me about six times to resign and stand in the by-election for them. I can take up any position and a package of five years of councillor salary in cash.”
The Cape Argus cannot name the ANC figures against whom the DA said it planned to lay charges, since the charges had not yet been laid at the time of going to press on Tuesday.
Responding to the DA’s announcement, Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman, who also serves as Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, said: “The ANC will not buy over anyone. People join the ANC voluntarily, based on conviction. We are against councillors being given any sort of money – that’s a non-starter from us in the Western Cape leadership.”
Responding to the allegations about a “hit list” targeting DA councillors, he said the opposite was true, that “there’s many a DA member that has spoken to the ANC”.
“There are many councillors who essentially want to leave (the DA), but because we are not offering them any financial income, they are locked into their positions.
“People are disgruntled by the fact that they are being run by the premier’s office, both politically and administratively.
“The irony is that if the walkover clause was still in place the DA would have been in serious difficulty.”
Asked about the Project Reclaim document, Fransman said: “I would want the document to see if it was manufactured by the DA.”
He said the ANC had a strategy to reclaim power in the Western Cape, which was named the Path to People’s Power. This was “a strategy to renew and unite the ANC in the province and to regain our strengths within this province”.
“Rural areas were historically ANC, so there is a strategy to regain the strengths among this rural voting block. It’s not a secret strategy, (and is) based on the principles of mass mobilisation and community organisation.” - Cape Argus
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fred the frog, wrote
TYPICAL ANC!!! TOO FARKING LAZY AND TOO STUPID TO ACTUALLY FORMULATE AN ELECTION PLAN ON HOW TO WIN THESE DISTRICTS BACK. RATHER ONCE AGAIN DIP INTO THE TAXPAYERS POCKET. WHAT A BUNCH OF LOSERS!!
DianaB, wrote
You ran this province into the ground and we know all your filthy tricks! What lowlife scum needs to resort to these shady dealings if they actually managed to do their work properly, perhaps they wouldn't have to resort to these tactics but then again, dirty tactics and corrupt practices are all the ANC seem to know. You dig your own graves again and again... continue like this - it only makes your political party less credible!
Voter, wrote
While you are at the police station, may you also open a case against one of your own in Midvaal and explain to us why Verwoerd statue was still at your municipality in 2011. Western Cape is a good contest between major parties, that is what democracy is all about.
Voter, wrote
While you are at the police station, may you also open a case against one of your own in Midvaal and explain to us why Verwoerd statue was still at your municipality in 2011. Western Cape is a good contest between major parties, that is what democracy is all about.
ricardo, wrote
Sandro, look at what is happening in the ANC. the infighting is ripping the party apart, people getting suspended, politically motivated murders and more!!!, yet you call the DA racist for this reason. Why do you always pull out the racist card as soon as anything happens with a person of another race? it's the first resort for someone that doesnt have the intelligence to have a discussion (unfortunately our politicians do it too). GET OVER IT!! move on , look past race and realise that your beloved party is no longer what they used to be. I watched a documentary on SA prisons and it was widely accepted by some of the inmates that black south africans are the most racist people they have met. i dont agree with this but dont just pull out the racist card every time. get over it.
Anonymous, wrote
@mamba. I am ANC member but I do not support what you are saying. The objective of bringing ANC into power was not to have any form of corruption to continue, but rather to better the lives of all people of this country. If we carry on with the mantality of plundering the resources just because apartheid goverment was corrupt, then we will be destroying our country because corruption will not sustain the economy of this country, but will destroy it. By the way, I hate corruption with every cell of my body. Viva ANC, and down with corruption!!
ricardo, wrote
Sandro, look at what is happening i the ANC. the infighting is ripping the party apart, yet you call the DA racist for this reason. Why do you always pull out the racist card as soon as anything happens with a person of another race? it's the first resort for someone that doesnt have the intelligence to have a discussion (unfortunately our politicians do it too). GET OVER IT!! move on , look past race and realise beloved party are no longer what they used to be. I watched a documentary on SA prisons and it was widely accepted by some od the inmates that black south africans are the most racist people they have met. i dont agree with this but dont just pull out the racist card every time. get over it.
Frank Hartry, wrote
The rot starts at the top. What is so galling is that not one politician of any political party at all levels of government, were democratically ELECTED by tyhe people. They were merely nominated in a Jobs for pals frenzy by their respective parties. Not even Zuma and Zille were ELECTED to their lucrative positions by the actual people' Hence the reason why the majority of the ANC voted for the infamous draconian dictatorial secrecy bill and the people had no say. It is crazy and undemocratic. We South Africans must stop b... s....... ourselves that we are the most democratic country in the world. It is ludicrous.
Johann, wrote
Blackmamba, obviously you cant read or is illiterate because of appartheid...you are insulting your own intelligence. Read the article again and you will see that he is handing it in today to the police...Shame on you....SANDO, obviously you want to become a cattle farmr like juju, because you know nothing of the law or politics
GF.A, wrote
Useless argument. All politicians are self serving at the end of the day. Ours, past and present, are just a little more open with their looting.
Deena Naidoo , wrote
Sando, you are a loser. People with your kind of mentality don't belong in SA. ZZ, can you recollect way back in the early 1992s, just before the 1st elections. Banks were being robbed left, right and centre. Then, after elections, all the bank robberies mysteriously and suddenly stopped. WHY????? The ANC are basically copy-cats. The NATS believed in the 'divide and rule' policies, which worked, then. Come on people, stop bad-mouthing the ANC. Show your allegiance to the DA, and, get rid of them by showing your signatures at the polling stations at the next elections.
Happy, wrote
@ black umber speak for yourself because me and my children wants to move on stop being a cry baby this whites did this or that we are in charge now let us learn to work for ourself and stop this corruption in the government. My kid work very hard and I take public transport to pay for their education we you are fighting with your own people while the world watch. Show the world that a black man and women can become successfully without any handouts.
Johan, wrote
@blackmamba. Genocides? Where, when? Where's the proof? Post some links for us? If you can't find anything, shut the fsck up.
J, wrote
@Sando ... typical ANC COMRADE with no basis on which to form his opinion dude you just another JUJU clown ....
DaveL, wrote
They say that to kill a snake (Blackmamba's included) you chop it's head off. Take the current government as being the snake and do what you need to do. All the ANC has to do is deliver and the rest will fall into place but they cannot so have to resort to these underhanded tactics. I hope that those councillors that are approached have the guts and integrity to turn down the bribe and to report it for further action. Consider the protection of state information - if this goes ahead, info like this will now be allowed to surface = problem for Joe Public and protection for Mr ANC.
Toll, wrote
@sando So what if they a white dominated party ??? What is wrong with that?? ANC is black dominated ??
africa, wrote
what a joke....DA must concentrate on building houses for the impoverished coloured and african communities in western cape than embarking on a grotesque spectacle cheap politiking. Yesterday, Helen Zille was encouraging people to do HIV test by dangling R50 000 for the lucky individual, a move which has also been lambasted as cgeap publicity and insensitive.
@blackmamba , wrote
idiots like you , Julius malema and the anc are unhelpabale because you would hijacj the the helper
Juan, wrote
Sorry DA, but unfortunately this is how 'democracy' works in africa. After a few million years of evolution, this should stop.
sando, wrote
DA are loosing the plot.....it is and is still a white dominated party. Their are truth in this but not that the ANC bribes people, its rather that coloured councillors in the DA really complains about the racism they experience in the DA. guys this is a fact, and no matter how you will respond the coloureds in the DA are talking to ANC leadership! the ANC dont have to defend itself, its politics the DA is going to fail because of the racist infightings that will be exposed in due couse.
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