ANC lambasts DA’s lie detector tests

The Democratic Alliance has defended its decision to put its councillors in Mogale City, Krugersdorp, through lie-detector tests following the recent ousting of the municipality’s DA mayor.

Mayor Michael Holenstein was removed in a shock vote of no confidence initiated by the opposition ANC in the council last week.

The ANC, which has 38 seats, managed to secure an extra vote after an unknown councillor from the ruling DA-led coalition supported the no-confidence motion against Holenstein.

The DA partners in the coalition are the EFF, with nine seats, the IFP with two and the FF Plus, which has one councillor.

As a result of the hung council, a no-confidence motion has to pass with a 50%-plus-one majority.

A replacement for Holenstein should have been elected yesterday but coalition members stayed away in protest, preventing council from reaching a quorum.

Another attempt to elect a new mayor would take place on June 28.

Yesterday, ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa lambasted the lie detector tests as a “cowardly move” by the DA.

“Coming from the hypocritical DA, this action is not a surprise and serves only to demonstrate the party’s moral bankruptcy, and exposes its unprincipled, untrustworthy leadership,” Kodwa said.

But yesterday DA Gauteng leader John Moodey said the DA caucus had volunteered to take the tests, and members even insisted on carrying the costs themselves.

Moodey said the ANC was again trying every trick in the book “to regain control of a city it has already ruined with years of corruption and maladministration”.

“It was in fact the ANC who insisted on a secret ballot, while the DA and EFF called for a show of hands.

“The ANC got it wrong yet again when it accused the DA of humiliating its councillors by forcing them to take lie detector tests,” Moodey said. – ericn@citizen.co.za