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Controversy in DA in the Western Cape - once again

Controversy has hit the DA in the Western Cape again. This time one of the candidates — running for the party’s provincial leadership — has been disqualified on a technicality.

Anda Ntsodo‚ who serves as a mayoral committee member at the City of Cape Town‚ was up against DA MPL Lennit Max and acting provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela. The election is set for Saturday in Cape Town.

Ntsodo’s disqualification came after Madikizela‚ reportedly complained that Ntsodo had not followed the party’s rules when submitting his nomination.

In a statement released on Wednesday Ntsodo said he had been looking forward to the contest but wished both Madikizela and Max well.

“I was copied to e-mails that the incumbent acting provincial leader and candidate for the same position‚ Bonginkosi Madikizela‚ appealed against my approved nomination to be declared invalid on the basis that I withdrew my withdrawal of my nomination after the cut-off date‚” wrote Ntsodo.

After he withdrew‚ he apparently re-entered the leadership race.

Ntsodo’s nomination had come as a surprise to many parties interested in the conference as it had come shortly after he was elected as one of the deputy chairmen of the DA’s metro region.

His statement‚ which was also posted on his Facebook page‚ was met with criticism by a number of DA members‚ including Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo.

Mbombo is also Madikizela’s partner. She attacked Ntsodo on social media saying he should tell the truth about his disqualification.

“My leader‚ your statement reads as if it’s not your own doing that you were disqualified. It reads as if the provincial leader [Madikizela] acted unfairly for reporting you to the presiding officer for breaking the rules ...did you break the rules or not?” wrote Mbombo.

Ntsodo could not be reached for comment by the time of writing as his phone was off while Madikizela’s phone rang unanswered.

Other DA members like City of Cape Town councillor Malusi Booi and DA MP Tandeka Gqada‚ had all pushed Ntsodo to reveal the real reasons he was disqualified.

This week Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille and her mayoral committee member for safety and security‚ JP Smith‚ were placed on special leave from DA politics after they got involved in nasty public spat. The row centres around the disbandment of the city’s special investigative unit and the mayor’s security upgrades at her home. But party insiders have linked it to the race for the party’s provincial leadership.

 

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