Durban - “Negative” campaigning on social media ahead of the DA’s KwaZulu-Natal conference elections has caused bad blood in the party.
An unhappy DA member has leaked screen grabs to the media of a WhatsApp page set up by DA leader in KwaZulu-Natal, Sizwe Mchunu, punting him and his team for key positions. The team is said to include senior members of the party in the province.
The DA member, who asked to remain anonymous, said the page was set up last month – long before campaigning for the April 25 conference is allowed by party rules.
The anonymous member said Mchunu’s supporters were lobbying for him to retain his job and for party provincial chairman, Haniff Hoosen.
Possible rivals for the positions for the provincial leadership are
Zwakele Mncwango, the DA leader in eThekwini and DA MPL Mbali Ntuli.
“The formation of the group is against party regulations that govern internal electioneering. No negative campaigning is allowed and no assertions can be made against candidates that may be defamatory or factually incorrect,” said the member.
He said the formation of the group with the intent to conspire was expressly not allowed in the DA, where block voting or voting as structures is against party rules.
“The group is clearly flouting the party’s social media policy which extends to Whats-App and any group disseminated information.
“This (group) and much of the events of the past 10 months were intended to implicate Ntuli and Mncwango as racial nationalists, as undisciplined members of the party and as being detrimental to the DA’s vision of a diverse South Africa,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mchunu said: “I do not deny that I have created the page. However, I don’t know how conversations attack anyone. I have also not compromised the constitution or any rules of the DA.”
Some members of the group were contacted for comment.
Tim Bauteseth said this was a private group and he knew no constitution that prevents people from campaigning as long as it was done within the provisions of the constitution of a political party.
Another member who is only identified as Bradley posted: “We will rally every single DA member who we know to support Sizwe and Haniff…”
When contacted for comment, he said he was not allowed to speak to the media.
Ros Lees who posted: “KZN with Sizwe as our leader! Perfect!”, said campaigning was always a “hot potato”.
Zamo Hlela posted: “If people don’t vote Sizwe and Haniff who else will lead this province into another level as this Leadership did??”
Called for comment, he said there was nothing wrong with what they were doing because this was a private group.
Ntuli said she had been informed about the group.
“I found some of the comments on that page despicable and I will escalate the matter to the leadership,” she said.
Mncwango said he was told the group was started on February 23. “I’ve been made aware of the group… I’ll follow internal processes and I will be in contact with the federal chairman to state my concerns,” Mncwango said.
Federal chairman James Selfe said the matter had not been brought to his attention.
Mchunu is not new to controversy.
In August last year the Daily News reported that Mchunu was accused of irregular conduct by members of the Ladysmith constituency during the nomination and election of the area’s caucus leader.
But Mchunu denied any wrongdoing. A few days after the election, the constituency escalated the matter to the party’s federal legal commission, which ruled the election was flawed. The Daily News has seen a copy of the ruling.
When confronted this week, Mchunu said the commission’s ruling against the election was to allow flexibility for smaller caucuses to elect their own leadership.
Daily News