ActionSA senior leader Makhosi Khoza has defended a decision to defy her party's instruction to vote for a DA mayoral candidate last year and is now facing disciplinary action.

Shortly after the incident, party leader Herman Mashaba announced Khoza was stepping down as the party's leader in KwaZulu-Natal.

Khoza, who also serves as the chairperson of the municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) in eThekwini, says she will not turn a blind eye to white supremacy “trying to make its way through the back door”.

This comes after the DA in the province asked the leadership of ActionSA to take action against Khoza, claiming she had accused DA councillor Nicole Graham of being a racist.

Khoza confirmed to SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE she was recently served with a letter stating she would be disciplined.

“I am still waiting for the day of the hearing, we have asked questions and for a charge sheet which must state what I have done. I will subject myself to the disciplinary processes of the organisation. I will also explain what I am saying now. It’s going to be up to them what they choose to do,” she said. 

The disciplinary hearing comes after DA provincial chairperson Dean Macpherson formally requested ActionSA’s provincial chairperson Musa Kubheka to intervene and halt Khoza’s “aggression”. 

This after Khoza clashed with Graham, the DA's caucus leader in eThekwini, over her refusal to vote for DA councillor Andre Beetge to be the deputy chairperson of the municipal public accounts committee in the council.

Graham had communicated with the leaders of the EFF, IFP and ActionSA, requesting  support for Beetge. The EFF and IFP confirmed they would support Beetge, and Kubheka apparently said he would speak to  Khoza. 

Khoza allegedly sent messages to Graham, telling her she would not vote for a DA candidate and that Graham was treating her as “subhuman”, among other accusations.

“It seems to me that there was a deliberate boycott from Khoza's side to ensure that the ANC could succeed in this election and further gives credit to the public claims that Khoza supported the ANC in the mayoral election, in return for being elected Mpac chairperson,” wrote Macpherson in an e-mail seen by TimesLIVE.. 

“You will appreciate that the relationship between ActionSA and the DA in eThekwini is less than ideal. In fact it is becoming toxic, which is being driven by councillor Khoza. Her obsession with the DA and councillor Graham is troubling and unhealthy.”

In screenshots of messages Khoza sent to Graham, she accused her of being arrogant and racist.

“On several previous occasions I warned you to stop treating ActionSA as a subsidiary of the DA. I will not take any instruction from you. I honestly don’t appreciate your DA’s arrogance. You have no jurisdiction over my decisions. I am a councillor to serve the people of eThekwini and not the DA’s aspirations and political ambitions,” said Khoza.

Khoza confirmed the authenticity of the messages to Graham, adding she would not apologise to anyone.

“I am not going to entertain Nicole’s political hallucinations. She knows how she sabotaged a plan to become the next mayor. She has no respect for minority parties ... she was ill-treating and calling them little boys post the elections ... She would be mayor today if it was not for her self-sabotaging racist tendencies.” 

The DA said Khoza’s behaviour did nothing to build trust among opposition parties in their quest to unseat the ANC. 

Khoza, however, said she refused to be associated with the DA and was unapologetic in her stance.

“I don’t understand why ActionSA should act as a proxy of the DA. I will not be accepting instructions from the DA and I am not going to be apologetic about that. I joined ActionSA.”

TimesLIVE