Western Cape speaker Mnqasela loses urgent court bid for his reinstatement

The Western Cape High Court has dismissed Western Cape legislature speaker Masizole Mnqasela’s urgent application to have his application for reinstatement heard.

Mnqasela appeared in court on Thursday.

“I want my DA membership card back. I want to wear a T-shirt like yours. I could only put on this blue uniform because my blood is blue since day one,” Mnqasela told supporters following his court appearance.

The DA terminated Mnqasela’s membership last month after it accused him of making disparaging comments about the party, a week after filing a motion of no confidence against Mnqasela.

Following allegations of fraud and corruption in May, the party said he was charged with misconduct and had been suspended from taking part in DA activity.

‘Witch hunt’

Mnqasela responded to the allegations and said they were “malicious” and a “political witch hunt”.

He added that the decision to submit a motion of no confidence was “strange”.

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“I have been sitting in the disciplinary hearing by the Federal Legal Commission [FLC], and when I was told while I was in the hearing that the motion that seeks to remove the speaker. For me, this is quite strange; parliament itself has not dealt with any complaint,” he said.

“I have not been found guilty of anything, and I refuse to sit back and allow a witch hunt against me to continue.”

Allegations of corruption

Mnqasela was facing allegations of corruption and irregularities related to subsistence, travel and entertainment allowance claims. The Hawks had also been given documents of whistleblower accounts of his transgressions.

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“The PEC’s decision to suspend is based on the findings of an investigation report by the DA’s Federal Legal Commission that there is sufficient credibility in the allegations relating to irregularities pertaining to subsistence, travel and entertainment allowance claims,” DA Western Cape chairperson Jaco Londt said in May.

Additional reporting by Gareth Cotterell