Suspended ANC man defects to DA

Cape Town - As the political jostling continues in the lead-up to next year’s local government elections, a suspended ANC Western Cape ward councillor on Sunday jumped ship to join the ranks of the DA – a move that the ANC has labelled an “embarrassing stunt”.

Ward 101 councillor Siseko Mabidiza, who controlled one of the largest ANC strongholds in the Kraaifontein area, was suspended with immediate effect on Saturday following a decision by the provincial general council.

The ANC had accused Mabidiza of neglecting his community in recent months.

Mabidiza denied that the ANC gave him the boot, saying he had resigned from his position on Sunday morning prior to the DA’s press briefing at its headquarters in Burg Street announcing his defection.

ANC Cape Metro regional secretary JJ Tyhalisisu said the party intensified its engagement with Mabidiza “over a variety of issues” of which he had “shown no concern and no desire to turn things around”.

“The ANC has long been concerned about the fact that (Mabidiza) works full time as a banker, with hardly any time for community issues and cannot possibly react immediately to the community’s concerns as he is always locked into his full-time job.

“The ANC has also been concerned by the fact that (Mabidiza) never has time to go into communities, never has time for community meetings, is not part of ANC community renewal, refuses to be a foot soldier that holds the ANC in the branches, such that the ANC branch in his ward had to close down,” he said.

Tyhalisisu labelled Mabidiza “defiant and dismissive”, implying that the councillor’s attitude had caused his ward to lose faith in the ANC.

The picture painted by the ANC was a far cry from the praise heaped upon Mabidiza by DA provincial leader Patricia de Lille.

De Lille said she was confident in Mabidiza’s character, saying he would become a proportional representative (PR) councillor for the DA and would ultimately become the party’s candidate for the upcoming local government elections in the same ward he was accused of neglecting.

When asked why the DA chose to recruit an ANC member who had been suspended for a lack of commitment to his duties, De Lille said: “We can prove the opposite, we can prove that (Mabidiza) spent his budget accordingly.”

Mabidiza was unveiled at the DA’s provincial headquarters by De Lille, deputy provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela and Metro chairman Shaun August.

Mabidiza wanted to be “part of the party that delivers”, he said and that he was “committed to joining the chorus of voices condemning the ANC in the Western Cape”.

Mabidiza’s defection has been widely criticised by the ANC, who a week ago welcomed into its ranks three DA members - PR councillor Cyril Mack, his son Grant and secretary Danny Bolton.

Mack cited “systematic racism” within the DA as his reason for wanting to leave, sparked by the furore over the sharing of a post on Facebook by DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard which called for the return of PW Botha as president.

ANC provincial spokesman Yonela Diko told the Cape Argus that the DA’s desperation to “parade anything considered ANC” would lead them to “embarrassing moments” later: “Their inability to do due diligence before welcoming any disgruntled former members of the ANC who chooses to join their ranks is leading them to inherit the very problems we are trying to rid ourselves from.”

Diko said Mabidiza knew his suspension was inevitable which prompted him to “sort alternative avenues” which included joining the DA.

He said Mabidiza’s ward would not suffer, and the regional leadership in the ANC would announce his successor soon.

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Cape Argus