Johannesburg - DA leader Mmusi Maimane used the memorial service for late Joburg ward councillor Jerry Mabe to launch a blistering attack on the City of Cape Town councillors who resigned last week after a heated council meeting.
Maimane, while praising Mabe for his selfless service as a councillor on Tuesday, singled out those who used "racial victimhood" to cover up corruption and maladministration.
Mabe's memorial service was held in Dobsonville, Soweto.
"The DA’s cores values of non-racialism, clean governance, and zero tolerance for corruption are never up for compromise. They stand, no matter who you are.
"I say, if you want to serve the people of South Africa, in any form, you must be above reproach. But there are some in the DA who do not share this view. For them, public service has quickly become personal service. This has no place in the DA I lead.
"You see, for some, when they are caught out undermining clean governance for the people, and zero tolerance for corruption, move towards racial victimhood."
He then said that when corruption was discovered and exposed, false cries of racial victimhood were often used to divert attention away from wrong things.
He used examples of how the EFF, UDM and ANC used this tactic to try and deflect attention away from corruption and maladministration.
"We saw it in Parliament when red flags were raised about VBS bank and the looting and corruption there. We were told by the EFF that this is 'racist'. Now Adv Terry Motau’s report shows how almost R2 billion was stolen from VBS bank accounts of poor, vulnerable South Africans. For the EFF, they used racial victimhood to try cover up corruption that involves their deputy president and their Commander-in-Chief.
"We saw it in Mandela Bay. When we uncovered (Mongameli) Bobani’s shady deals and kick-backs in that government, we removed him. We were told by the UDM this was 'racist'. Now, the Hawks are investigating over R600 000 payment to Mr Bobani.
"For the UDM, they used racial victimhood to try cover up corruption and we see it on a daily basis in the ANC wherever they govern."
He added: "It’s no different there in Cape Town. Its embarrassingly obvious that only now – when it’s the end of the road for these defenders and hiders of maladministration and corruption – they play this card."
"Racial victimhood has no place in our country, and certainly no place in our party. I saw this: The DA is better off without those who use racial victimhood to divert attention away from – and cover up – corruption. Those who want to divide us along racial lines belong back in Apartheid. We reject this."