The inclusion of at least five DA student leaders in the party’s local government candidates lists for the Nelson Mandela Metro has caused ructions within the party.
Now the party has been accused of sidelining councillors who are seen to be close to expelled DA councillor Knight Mali, who is at the centre of a storm of racism allegations surrounding the DA’s Nelson Mandela mayoral candidate Athol Trollip.
Mali’s membership of the DA was recently reinstated by the high court after the party terminated it, accusing him of siding with the ANC.
Other councillors who failed to make the cut are those who supported the party’s provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya when she took on DA veteran Edmund van Vuuren during the hotly contested elective provincial congress in November 2014.
Now the disgruntled grouping says they have been overlooked to accommodate Daso leaders favoured by Trollip and Van Vuuren.
Those listed as victims of the so-called Van Vuuren “comeback” campaign include Ward 35 councillor Anne du Plessis, Ward 30’s Penny Naidoo; Ward 11’s Isaac Adams; Ward 11’s Kenneth Kohl; Ward 38 councillor Sarina Marlow and PR councillors Elizabeth Tshazibane, Jan Lindoor, Brian Kivedo and Mzukisi Ncamani.
The Dispatch can reveal that the unhappy councillors, including the listed nine councillors, have been meeting at Mali’s Bluewater Bay home, to chart the way forward.
The DA’s candidates list was published officially yesterday and has five Daso leaders in the party’s top 20 for the PR list.
They are Bax Nodada, Kabelo Mogatosi, Samantha Beynon, Ondela Kepe and Helga van Staaden.
The party currently has 18 PR candidates and stands to gain more if the ANC continues to lose support in the metro, as has been the trend in recent elections.
One of the affected councillors, Bahle Ngqondela, said the DA accused the party of using black councillors to win votes.
“There is a misconception in the DA that the Daso win in SRC elections will translate to a local government win ... which is incorrect,” he said.
He accused the party of using “non-performance” as a ruse to sideline black councillors.
But Trollip dismissed claims the list was based on factions, saying that the process had been transparent and had no bearing on next year’s federal provincial congress where new leaders would be elected.
“We went through a process where people were interviewed ... that was a very democratic process,” said Trollip.
Mali also accused the party leaders of using students to sideline the veterans they disagreed with.
“The DA is using Daso to sideline old members that have been keeping fires burning in the Nelson Mandela Metro. Even before the list was published we had already known that the majority of black councillors would not come back,” said Mali.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Mvenya took a veiled swipe at her opponents within the party, accusing them of plotting her downfall.
“People are prepared to pay money to get information to use against me so as to get rid of me before the end of this month. God has exposed them. I know your plans and I am not going anywhere,” she wrote.
Van Vuuren could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
Grumbles over DA candidate list - Inclusion of Daso leaders criticised by party stalwarts
Now the party has been accused of sidelining councillors who are seen to be close to expelled DA councillor Knight Mali, who is at the centre of a storm of racism allegations surrounding the DA’s Nelson Mandela mayoral candidate Athol Trollip.
Mali’s membership of the DA was recently reinstated by the high court after the party terminated it, accusing him of siding with the ANC.
Other councillors who failed to make the cut are those who supported the party’s provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya when she took on DA veteran Edmund van Vuuren during the hotly contested elective provincial congress in November 2014.
Now the disgruntled grouping says they have been overlooked to accommodate Daso leaders favoured by Trollip and Van Vuuren.
Those listed as victims of the so-called Van Vuuren “comeback” campaign include Ward 35 councillor Anne du Plessis, Ward 30’s Penny Naidoo; Ward 11’s Isaac Adams; Ward 11’s Kenneth Kohl; Ward 38 councillor Sarina Marlow and PR councillors Elizabeth Tshazibane, Jan Lindoor, Brian Kivedo and Mzukisi Ncamani.
The Dispatch can reveal that the unhappy councillors, including the listed nine councillors, have been meeting at Mali’s Bluewater Bay home, to chart the way forward.
The DA’s candidates list was published officially yesterday and has five Daso leaders in the party’s top 20 for the PR list.
They are Bax Nodada, Kabelo Mogatosi, Samantha Beynon, Ondela Kepe and Helga van Staaden.
The party currently has 18 PR candidates and stands to gain more if the ANC continues to lose support in the metro, as has been the trend in recent elections.
One of the affected councillors, Bahle Ngqondela, said the DA accused the party of using black councillors to win votes.
“There is a misconception in the DA that the Daso win in SRC elections will translate to a local government win ... which is incorrect,” he said.
He accused the party of using “non-performance” as a ruse to sideline black councillors.
But Trollip dismissed claims the list was based on factions, saying that the process had been transparent and had no bearing on next year’s federal provincial congress where new leaders would be elected.
“We went through a process where people were interviewed ... that was a very democratic process,” said Trollip.
Mali also accused the party leaders of using students to sideline the veterans they disagreed with.
“The DA is using Daso to sideline old members that have been keeping fires burning in the Nelson Mandela Metro. Even before the list was published we had already known that the majority of black councillors would not come back,” said Mali.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Mvenya took a veiled swipe at her opponents within the party, accusing them of plotting her downfall.
“People are prepared to pay money to get information to use against me so as to get rid of me before the end of this month. God has exposed them. I know your plans and I am not going anywhere,” she wrote.
Van Vuuren could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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