Gang link slurs rock W Cape parly

Cape Town-150521-Provincial Parliamen sitting today. The DA and ANC heckelled and blame the other side for the racisism and other problems in the province. Helen Zille did not say much but was accused of rasisism by Marius Fransman (in pic)-Reporter-Warda Meyer-Photographer-Tracey Adams

Cape Town-150521-Provincial Parliamen sitting today. The DA and ANC heckelled and blame the other side for the racisism and other problems in the province. Helen Zille did not say much but was accused of rasisism by Marius Fransman (in pic)-Reporter-Warda Meyer-Photographer-Tracey Adams

Published May 28, 2015

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Cape Town - A debate in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament turned ugly on Thursday as members of the province’s ruling party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and official opposition the African National Congress (ANC), accused one another of befriending known gangsters and vigilante groups in Cape Town.

“The question is, how did the leader of the opposition (Marius Fransman) know? Maybe he was informed by his dear friend Mark Liffman or his other friends with whom he has appeared on public platforms,” said Western Cape Premier Helen Zille.

She was responding to a question posed by ANC member Richard Dyantyi about what had been done with evidence provided regarding allegations that City of Cape Town municipalities were paying known gangsters on various construction projects.

“I have checked the registry and no information has been provided. The accusations of the ANC rarely match up to reality and no one takes the ANC seriously anymore,” said Zille.

Chairman of the ANC in the Western Cape Marius Fransman hit back at Zille, saying: “It is a known fact that Premier Zille met with certain gangsters and tried to set up certain politicians and members of the South African Police Service (SAPS).”

“Tell them who you met! Tell them who you met!” demanded Fransman of Zille.

Zille did not respond, leaving the House soon after. The allegations and mudslinging, however, were not limited to Fransman and Zille.

The ANC’s Cameron Dugmore accused Zille of aligning herself with vigilante group People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad), a statement he later had to withdraw as it was deemed unparliamentary by Speaker Sharna Fernandez.

He added that the DA-led City had entered into “an unholy alliance with known gang bosses and pumped millions of rands into security companies which are the personal fiefdom of these gang bosses”.

Another ANC member Pat Lekker accused Western Cape’s MEC for Community Safety Dan Plato of being involved with known gangsters.

ANA

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