DA to sue ActionSA after bribery accusations

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday said it will be taking ActionSA and its National Chairperson Michael Beaumont to court after the party accused it of trying to bribe one of its councillors.

Bribery accusation

DA KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Dean Macpherson said ActionSA had misled the public and wrongfully accused DA leaders of committing a serious crime.

This comes after ActionSA said it would be laying charges against the DA.

It accused DA leaders of trying to bribe ActionSA ward councillor in Newcastle, Shandy Singh.

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

ALSO READ: ActionSA to lay bribery charges against DA leaders

Beaumont said the DA had offered Singh a bribe to leave ActionSA and fill the DA vacancy in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature after the resignation of its chief whip, Zwakele Mncwango.

ActionSA accused of misleading public

Macpherson, however, has rubbished the claims.

“The so called ‘meeting’ where ActionSA believes this bribery took place was on the 8th of September 2022 where Mr Singh was supposedly offered to fill the seat of Zwakele Mncwango in exchanged for joining the DA,” said Macpherson.

Macpherson also said ActionSA’s claim that it has a photo of the DA members allegedly offering Singh the bribe is misleading.

“Neither Ashor Sarupen or myself are in the photo and were never at the meeting in the first place.

“However, this inducement of offering Mncwango’s seat on the 8th of September 2022 could not have been possible because he only resigned from the KZN legislature on the 5th of October and as a member of the DA on the 9th of October,” said Macpherson.

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Macpherson said the DA’s lawyers sent letters to ActionSA, Beaumont, and the party’s leader Herman Mashaba. The DA wants the statement retracted and an apology to be issued.

“We further demanded R100 000 each and R100 000 for the DA which would be donated to an organisation fighting corruption.”

“Bribery is a serious crime in South Africa and we cannot allow political parties like ActionSA to flippantly waste precious police resources in their never-ending obsession with the DA and its leaders,” said Macpherson.

Mncwango joins ActionSA

Meanwhile, Mncwango was on Monday unveiled as ActionSA’s new KZN provincial chairperson.

Mncwango had accused the DA of, among other things, failing to promote free speech within the party.

NOW READ: DA’s Mncwango joins ActionSA