By Deon de Lange
Former secretary-general of the Independent Democrats (ID) Avril Harding has been expelled from the party he co-founded with leader Patricia de Lille apparently because he planned to cross the floor.
Harding was served with an expulsion letter on Tuesday, with days to go before the defection window period opens on September 1.
According to his lawyer, William da Grass, the letter gave Harding six hours to "show cause" and contest his expulsion, failing which the expulsion became "automatic".
Da Grass said he would be filing an urgent application in the Cape High Court on Thursday to contest the expulsion.
"We are of the opinion that the expulsion was not done according to the party's constitution. You cannot expel someone unless you have given them an opportunity to state their side of the case - this is a standard legal requirement," he said.
According to Da Grass, Harding was expelled for allegedly planning to form a new political party called the Social Democrats. This would constitute grounds for expulsion, according to the ID constitution.
The Social Democrats was the political party that was to have been formed in the last floor-crossing period had the ID and the United Independent Front (UIF) merged. However, this plan was scuppered when then UIF leader Malizole Diko got cold feet at the last minute.
The party's constitution and logo were duly shelved.
Da Grass would not comment on whether there was truth to the claim, saying only that the ID had not followed the correct "procedure".
Harding was suspended from the party in July after a charge of sexual harassment was brought against him by newly-elected deputy president and North West provincial leader Agnes Tsamai. Speculation was rife that the party was looking for a way to get rid of him, having caught wind of his intention to defect.
They were worried that he would cross the floor during the September window period because he failed to secure a leadership position at the ID's national conference in June.
De Lille refused to comment on Harding's expulsion last night, and said as far as she was concerned, the case against him would go ahead on Friday.
However, Da Grass was adamant that his client would not attend these proceedings.
"How can they expel my client and in the same breath tell him to attend the party's disciplinary processes?" he asked.
In a statement, ID CEO Ferlon Christians made it clear that the party would not comment on "any matter concerning Avril Harding".
"The process in terms of the ID's constitution and code of conduct has begun and it is a fundamental requirement of the constitution that justice takes its course without fear or favour. The ID will not conduct a trial by media. However, we will issue a full report once this process has been finalised," the statement said.