Cape Town - Former DA MP Phumzile van Damme has revealed why she quit the party.
In a remarkable series of tweets, Van Damme lashed out at the DA and revealing the “trauma” she suffered while still with the party. She said the reasons she quit was because of party leader John Steenhuisen, Natasha Mazzone and her husband Kevin Mileham.
She also believes the pair, Steenhuisen and Mazzone, will be “the death of the DA” come elections.
“To make it clear: Steenhuisen & Mazzone (and her husband) are the reasons I quit. I could not exist in the same space as them. I could not have my name associated with them. They will be the death of the DA. If the party does not do well in this election, I hope – guillotine,” said one of her tweets.
Van Damme who is now a misinformation buster since leaving the DA, detailed how the party leader tried to get rid of her by forcing her to take a sabbatical. “John Steenhuisen tried SO HARD to get rid of me. Sabbatical. He lost. He had to withdraw it and apologise. He was the one who insisted the V&A disciplinary hearing go ahead despite the first FLC report finding no grounds for one. I am a ”problem“ he said. He lost.”
The incident that took place at V&A Waterfront in 2019 which the DA investigated and cleared Van Damme remains traumatic, and she is not yet recovered as revealed by her tweets.
Van Damme admitted to punching a man in self-defence after he threatened violence during an altercation with a family at the V&A Waterfront.
Her tweets seem to have come after her interaction with Renaldo Gouws, a DA member from Nelson Mandela Bay. Gouws bullied a UCT student Jesse Griesel contesting elections under the EFF Student Command banner. It seems Gouws does not believe white people should be joining the EFF. He accused Van Damme of assaulting someone bringing up the Waterfront incident. Van Damme said she would suing after this
This was not the first time he came under fire for bullying a white young person seen in traditionally black political parties. In September he bullied Christiaan Hendrick Nicolaas Carstens for being ANC’s ward councillor candidate.
Van Damme also opened up about her mental health following incidents at the National Assembly that involved EFF member Nazier Paulsen who she says threatened to beat her after she intervened in what could have been a physical fight between him, Paulsen and Mileham. She detailed how the party failed to protect her and instead questioned her doctor’s diagnosis.
Many people came out in support of Van Damme’s bravery to come out about her mental health and the suffering she endured.
Charity McCord, speaker of party leader, said Steenhuisen will not be responding to the tweets by Van Damme.
Weekend Argus