THE DA strongly condemned Ekurhuleni executive mayor, Clr Mzwandile Masina’s unconstitutional and undemocratic threats at the Chris Hani memorial lecture on Monday, directed at the growing mass action against President Jacob Zuma.
“Masina’s threats violate the law and the constitution, which guarantees the rights to peaceful protest,” Clr Ghaleb Cachalia, DA leader of the opposition in Ekurhuleni, said in a statement issued on Tuesday morning.
“Mayor Masina used the most reprehensible terms to describe how he believes opposition to Zuma should be dealt with: it should be ‘crushed’ and reprisal would be ‘very, very rough’.
“This is the talk of a military strongman, not of a democratic mayor. Such talk has no place, whatsoever, in our constitutional democracy, if Masina respects the constitution at all. He clearly cannot see how the ever-growing groundswell of opposition to Jacob Zuma is building momentum every day,” Cachalia added.
He said the DA on Tuesday referred Masina to the Ekurhuleni Ethics and Integrity Committee for this “war talk” and called for these threats to be investigated and for sanctions to be imposed.
“He used a platform yesterday at the Chris Hani memorial lecture, an Ekurhuleni-branded event, to make these threats and as such he must be investigated in his official capacity.
“We have written to the Ekurhuleni speaker, Alderman Patricia Kumalo, to launch this investigation with the committee, as no person in South Africa who respects the Constitution can allow this to go unpunished.
“We are also considering laying criminal charges against Mayor Masina for incitement to violence and intimidation. It has become clear that Jacob Zuma sent Mzwandile Masina to Ekurhuleni to do his bidding. Masina’s defence of Zuma is another example of how the ANC will stop at nothing to defend the indefensible,” said Cachalia.
“The ANC has already lost its majority in Ekurhuleni and the people continue to show their disdain for the ANC abuse of power and disregard of the constitution. We expect a swift investigation and sanction against Mayor Masina.
“We encourage every South African who wants to see Jacob Zuma gone and wants to return our country to the right path, to come out tomorrow and march in tomorrow’s National Day of Action.”
