Phumzile van Damme on DA probe: 'Unfortunately this is the route that has been chosen'

The DA's Phumzile van Damme
The DA's Phumzile van Damme
Image: Gallo Images / Beeld / Jaco Marais

The DA's communications spokesperson Phumzile van Damme says there is a possible internal probe against her for punching a “racist man” at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

The MP said she learnt that the DA may be taking disciplinary action against her from the media.

Speaking to SowetanLIVE sister publication TimesLIVE, Van Damme said she had not received official correspondence from the party stating she had been charged, however, she was verbally informed.

“I was verbally informed that there will be an investigation to determine whether I should be charged. Unfortunately, this is the route that has been chosen,” she said.

According to the Afrikaans Sunday paper Rapport, the DA was investigating Van Damme for the altercation that took place in June, which saw her punching the man in the head, saying it was “self-defence”.

SowetanLIVE sister publication TimesLIVE reported that Van Damme said she was forced to punch the man after his family members kept on filming her.

The family has since denied the accusations, saying Van Damme was the one who followed and “insulted” them.

An unimpressed Van Damme took to Twitter following the news. In a series of tweets, she said the correspondence from fellow party member Ghaleb Cachalia, which was apparently leaked to the press, was “mighty interesting”.

Van Damme said she “will not be the sacrificed at the altar to appease some people and in the quest for votes”, adding that the article was nothing but a “factional mouthpiece in attacks” against her.

Added to that, she made it clear that she was more than willing to keep defending herself against any internal party charges, even if it makes her “sound like Jacob Zuma”.

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