ActionSA to lay bribery charges against DA leaders

ActionSA on Tuesday said it will lay charges of bribery against senior leaders of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The party said it will lay the criminal charges on Wednesday, after the DA leaders allegedly tried to bribe ActionSA ward councillor of Newcastle, Shandy Singh.

Bribery allegations

It said it has pictures of Singh meeting with DA leader John Steenhuisen, Helen Zille’s former chief of staff Ashor Sarupen, DA KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Dean Macpherson, and DA KwaZulu-Natal provincial leader Francois Rogers.

“ActionSA has been reliably informed that this meeting was convened to offer Mr Singh inducements to leave ActionSA and fill the DA vacancy in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature arising from the resignation of its chief whip, Zwakele Mncwango,” said ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont.

Beaumont suggested that the DA is threatening the stability of the coalition government in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.

“Newcastle Municipality has recently been won from the ANC in the 2021 local government elections and is now under a narrow coalition government led by the IFP. Any effort to induce a by-election in a ward won with 30% of the vote would likely be seized by the ANC and used as an effort to restore an ANC government to the municipality,” he said.

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He also accused the DA of trying to settle political scores.

“We call upon the DA to place the residents of Newcastle ahead of any personal efforts to settle political scores with ActionSA.”

Coalition governments

Last week, senior members of ActionSA met to discuss the future of coalitions in South Africa after the multi-party government collapsed in Johannesburg.

ActionSA and the DA have blamed each other for Johannesburg being taken over by the ANC.

“In short, coalitions that are constantly on the brink of collapse cannot effectively deliver services,” Beaumont said.

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ActionSA said the Ekurhuleni and Tshwane municipalities are in danger of being lost to the ANC as well.

“Earlier this year, ActionSA motivated for the multi-party coalition to engage other political parties in Ekurhuleni to secure the support required to approve budgets and survive motions of no confidence,” said Beaumont.

“This proposal was not accepted and, therefore, it will be critical for the coalition to provide leadership on how the Ekurhuleni multi-party coalition can sustain in the face of imminent motions of no confidence.”