‘They protected him all along’ – DA quietly expels MP De Freitas for alleged party funds graft

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has silently expelled MP Manuel “Manny” De Freitas after a disciplinary committee found him guilty of siphoning funds from a constituency bank account.

The long-drawn complaint was laid by former DA MP Tsepo Mhlongo in 2021.

He alleged that De Freitas utilised party funding for personal gain.

According to Mhlongo’s complaint to the DA’s Federal Legal Commission, De Freitas was supposed to shut down a constituency bank account as required, but never did.

The money in the account, said to be hundreds of thousands of rands, were raised from sponsorships and donations.

‘Fraud and corruption’

Mhlongo alleged that De Freitas, said to be a good fundraiser, used the money as he saw fit.

“It was a tale of rampant corruption and fraud in the DA, they protected Manny all this time.

“When I reported his abuse of party funds, I was sent from pillar to post, to a point where they made me the sacrificial lamb and terminated my membership last year,” he said.

The DA hasn’t yet released a statement on De Freitas’ departure.

Contacted for comment on Wednesday, spokesperson Solly Malatsi said the federal executive met last week and decided to expel De Freitas.

“He went through a disciplinary hearing and was found guilty. The FedEx has expelled him,” he said.

Mhlongo said he was contemplating laying corruption charges against De Freitas.

“This incident emphasises a troubling reality that not all animals are equal in the DA, reminiscent of the dynamics in Animal Farm.

“I still stand by how unfair the DA was to me and how they continue to prove this.

“In my view, Mannie was given a great send-off as a way to sort of bury his part in the case.

“It was planned, and they still did not deal with the fraud and corruption,” he said.

Mhlongo was expelled last December after the DA claimed activists in his constituency wrongfully captured information on the system.

The former parliamentarian has since joined ActionSA.

Last year, the official opposition threatened to sue him and former KwaZulu-Natal leader Mbali Ntuli over their social media posts alleging campaign funding corruption.

De Freitas pens farewell letter

Following the guilty verdict, De Freitas wrote a goodbye letter to DA members last week.

He detailed his DA work over the years.

De Freitas did not mention his disciplinary matters and instead blamed ill-health for not standing for election ahead of this year’s general polls.

He named party leaders such as Zack de Beer, Tony Leon, Helen Zille, “my dear friend and now leader” John Steenhuisen, Douglas Gibson, James Selfe, Greg Krumbock and Glenda Steyn as having guided and mentored him when he was a regional director in Gauteng.

“Although I am leaving, the friendships that I have with you will not change.

“Finally, this letter is an internal letter and intended only for internal communication.

“I request that this letter not be leaked to the media, irrespective of the type of media, whether it be established or social media.

“Leaks are counter-productive to our objectives.

“This is not goodbye but ‘til next time…Yours in blue democracy.”

De Freitas was the DA shadow minister for tourism.

He had not responded to calls and texts at the time of publication.