DA terminates membership of Western Cape speaker Masizole Mnqasela

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has terminated Western Cape legislature speaker Masizole Mnqasela’s membership after it accused him of making disparaging comments about the party.

The party said Mnqasela has until 10am on Tuesday to reapply for his membership.

Motion of no confidence

The DA filed a motion of no confidence against Mnqasela last week.

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.

Mnqasela, however, refused to step aside.

On Friday, a motion of no confidence was filed against him.

‘Witch hunt’

Mnqasela responded over the weekend by saying the allegations were “malicious” and a “political witch hunt”.

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

“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.”

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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.

“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.

The Western Cape legislature’s programming committee is expected to meet on Tuesday, to consider the motion of no confidence against the speaker.

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