Pretoria - The DA's deputy chief whip Mpho Mehlape-Zimu in the City of Tshwane on Monday pressed fraud charges against the regional ANC leadership at Brooklyn police station for allegedly forging signatures of seven councillors "in an attempt to convene an illegal council sitting" last week.
Mehlape-Zimu implicated the ANC chief whip Aaron Maluleka, saying he must be held accountable for the alleged faked signatures.
She said: "We are here to lay charges against the ANC leadership in Tshwane.
"As the chief whip councillor Aaron Maluleka is the custodian of discipline in the ANC caucus. He needs to take responsibility for this."
She refused to disclose to the media the names of the implicated seven ANC councillors, who allegedly forged their signatures.
City of Tshwane deputy chief whip Mpho Mehlape-Zimu at Brooklyn police station to lay criminal charges against ANC the leadership in Tshwane. Video: Rapula Moatshe
"I do not know the legality regarding disclosing those names to the media because those are people's name," Mehlape-Zimu said.
Asked whether her party had verified the alleged fabrication of signatures with a handwriting expert, she said: "That is why we are bringing the case to the SAPS because we are not, in truth, writing experts."
She, however, insisted that the signatures were, at a glance, appearing dodgy.
"With the comparisons that we have made and to the naked eye they are wrong.
"That is why we are opening a case with the SAPS to ascertain whether we are correct or not. But from where we are seated we are sure we have a strong case," she said.
Mehlape-Zimu said it was important for councillors to show discipline as public representatives.
"Our rules and orders say we need to conduct our affairs in an honorable and transparent way for the benefit of the people of Tshwane and for our democracy as a whole.
"Now if ever the ANC would go through these underhanded tactics to unseat a government it calls into question what is it that they will do once they are in government," she said.