The DA has provisionally withdrawn a complaint by its Western Cape leader, Bonginkosi Madikizela, against fellow party member Mbali Ntuli, who he claimed had breached the party’s social media policy when liking a Facebook post calling Premier Helen Zille a racist.
DA MP and the party’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC) chairperson, Glynnis Breytenbach, confirmed to the Cape Times yesterday that new representations on the matter had been made, leading to the case being withdrawn. But she said it was only provisionally.
Ntuli was charged on May 12 following a complaint by Madikizela who is also Human Settlements MEC and a staunch Zille supporter.
The move to press charges against Ntuli landed the party in a quagmire.
Zille, a former party leader, was temporarily suspended from the DA following her widely condemned tweets about colonialism, even by party leader Mmusi Maimane.
Her matter was speedily dealt with after she apologised and was banned from participating in DA activities, although she retained the premiership of the Western Cape.
Ntuli, a Zille critic, was slapped with five charges, including bringing the DA into disrepute, acting in a manner that harmed its image and opposing party policies.
However an investigation report by FLC member Alan McLoughlin found there was no evidence to support the charge that Ntuli’s actions “publicly opposed the party’s principles or repeatedly opposed published party policies”.
Madikizela had charged that when liking the post last year, Ntuli had indicated her agreement with the sentiment and failed to protect a colleague of high profile within the party, thereby breaching the provisions of the DA’s constitution and social media policy, thereby rendering herself “guilty of misconduct”, according to McLoughlin’s report.
His report warned there would be more harm to the party’s image if it continued with disciplinary action against Ntuli and she won.
Breytenbach said: “The matter was withdrawn, but only provisionally. New representations were made and and it’s currently being dealt with.
"It is going to be referred to a mediation process. You would understand that everybody has a diary. Everybody is busy, Mbali Ntuli is busy, Bonginkosi is busy, the panel members are busy, so we have to find a date that suits everyone.”
Asked why the matter took so long to finalise, Breytenbach said: “I do not think it’s taken too long at all. The matter was referred to a panel for a hearing, further representations were made and the results of those representations had to be reconsidered and now it has been sent to a mediation panel. In any event, the time that has lapsed is irrelevant.
"The issue is that it must be dealt with fairly and thoroughly and that is what is being done.”
Ntuli would not comment yesterday, while Madikizela confirmed he was aware that the case had been provisionally withdrawn. He would not be drawn into the reasons for the withdrawal.
“The matter is already before the FLC and I really do not have a desire to comment about it. This matter has not yet been finalised. The FLC is dealing with a number of recommendations.
‘‘The FLC is better placed to comment about it. I wouldn't want to get into those recommendations,” he said.
Asked whether he would be willing to meet with Ntuli to discuss the issue, Madikizela said: “We are members of the same party. When someone raises an issue concerning the member of the party, it doesn't mean those people suddenly become enemies.
“We meet several times. It's not a question of whether I would consider meeting her. We are not fighting.
‘‘The issue here and the intention is to always make sure that we find each other at the end, not to create further divisions in the party. The case was provisionally withdrawn on certain conditions.”