Cape Town - An Ocean View man who was allegedly told to “shut up” by mayor Dan Plato while trying to question him about housing and safety issues has vowed to press charges against Plato.
Aslam Richards, a member of the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC), was caught on video asking Plato about having a meeting with him regarding a housing development when Plato told him to “shut up” before he had completed his question.
In further footage, Plato was seen pointing his finger in Richards’s face as they get into a verbal altercation, with police grabbing Richards by the neck to pull him away from Plato.
The incident occurred when Plato and Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith visited the area on Friday to observe the work of the neighbourhood watch.
Smith said the video put out by the CCC started with Richards’s very evocative statement, but that was not actually a person shouting at Plato.
“This is a neighbourhood watch member walking with the mayor, shouting at the CCC for interfering with the community patrol. This anger is directed by a resident of Ocean View towards Richards when he shouted at the mayor,” said Smith.
Smith said when he and Plato arrived in Ocean View, the CCC were there and attempted to disrupt the event.
Smith said they were constantly jostling the mayor, jumping in front of him, screaming at him and disrupting the event to the point that residents and the neighbourhood watch became abusive towards the CCC and were shouting at them.
Smith accused the CCC of “cheap opportunistic politics” ahead of the local government elections later this year.
However, Richards dismissed claims that the incident was political, and that he was on Plato’s heels.
“You see from the video that the mayor had his bodyguards around him. The residents of Ocean View have been trying to get a meeting with the mayor since October, but refused to come. He actually sent his councillors to receive our memorandum,” said Richards.
He accused Plato of saying he was frustrated, which was why he acted that way. “So my question to the mayor is that, if he got frustrated by the questions, how frustrated does he think the people are whose land is being given away now?”
SA Human Rights Commission commissioner André Gaum said the community was raising concerns that needed to be properly responded to by the mayor.
Gaum said it was sad to see that instead of doing that, he lost his temper and approached a member of the community aggressively, on the face of it both verbally and physically.
“That is not how leaders should respond to concerns raised by citizens. Quite the opposite is required in a democratic society, where everyone should be able to voice their concerns without fear,” said Gaum.
He said Plato’s conduct was unbecoming of the office he held as mayor.
EFF provincial spokesperson Wandile Kasibe said the party has noted Plato’s arrogance with disgust.
He said that, as a public representative, there was no need for Plato to be rude and insensitive to a member of the public who was asking a simple question of a government representative.
He called for Plato to apologise for allegedly taking away the constitutional right of a citizen to ask a question, or if he was unable to apologise for his behaviour, he must do the right thing and resign.
ANC caucus spokesperson Fiona Abrahams said for months they have been concerned about and spoken out against the “thug-like” and unbecoming behaviour of Plato.
“This was the mayor behaving like a gangster and not like a mayor should. We demand that the mayor apologises for telling a resident, ‘Just shut up’. Mayor Plato is a disgrace to Cape Town. He should go now,” said Abrahams.
Cape Argus