Cape Town - Two more Western Cape mayors will face the DA’s disciplinary body for bringing the party into disrepute, one for refusing to resign from his position and the other for anti-gay vitriol.
Western Cape DA leader Bonginkosi Madikizela travelled to the Southern Cape again this weekend to douse the fires in the party’s troubled municipalities.
The DA has been battling with five maverick mayors, including Cape Town’s Patricia de Lille.
Two of the mayors have resigned after votes of no confidence were tabled against them. Evert Manuel of Berg River Municipality and Matzikama’s Rhenda Stephan threw in the towel after protracted battles to stay in power.
The party continues to try to contain problems in local municipalities in the province which have been plagued by motions of no confidence against council executives or investigations by the Hawks into allegations of fraud and maladministration.
On the chopping block this past week was Stellenbosch Municipality’s Speaker Donovan Joubert, whose party gave the municipality’s DA caucus the go-ahead to institute a vote of no confidence against him following months of complaints.
Knysna’s new mayor, Mark Willemse, and George mayor, Melvin Naik, are both in hot water and could face charges that relate to contravening section 2.5 of the party’s federal constitution which relates to its code of conduct.
Naik has been walking a tight rope following the Hawks’ raiding his offices because of an investigation for fraud and maladministration.
He further irked the party by making homophobic comments about an upcoming performance by the Boston Gay Men’s Choir.
Naik said Tuesday’s performance did not “carry his support” as mayor, even though it had been organised by his municipality.
LGBTI organisation the Triangle Project dismissed the mayor’s utterances and encouraged people to raise money for charity and go to the show.
Madikizela, who met with Naik late yesterday to discuss the matter, said the party’s federal executive committee would decide what disciplinary measures to take against him.
“For someone who understands what the party stands for, it cannot be that he makes such utterances especially if you are going to be speaking as the public representative of the party.
“The matter was referred to (the federal executive), who have charged him in terms of section 2.5 and for contravening this section. This matter brings the party into disrepute because he misrepresented the views of the party.”
However, Naik has found an ally in the ACDP’s Ferlon Christians, who during a debate at the provincial legislature condemned the DA for disciplining the George mayor and commended him for standing up for his Christian beliefs.
Madikizela said the party was also formulating charges against Knysna’s Willemse and would make the announcement tomorrow.
This is the second week Willemse has ignored orders to resign after he was voted in following a motion of no confidence in Eleanore Bouw-Spies that was not sanctioned by the party.
“He has shown defiance against the party and we have no option but to charge him because we can’t allow what is happening to go without consequences,” said Madikizela.