New DA councillor Aslam Richards is flanked by DA Western Cape leaders after leaving the Patriotic Alliance (PA). Photo: Facebook
Cape Town councillor Aslam Richards has accused the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and its leader Gayton McKenzie of betraying supporters by backing the African National Congress (ANC) in councils, while waging a culture of fear in the party.
Richards tendered his resignation from the PA on Wednesday, and joined the Democratic Alliance (DA).
He is one of the five former Western Cape PA councillors who’ve left the party in the last six months.
Three of them – Christo Boks, Brenden Owies and Richards joined the DA, while others went to form a breakaway organisation called the People’s Movement for Change.
In his circulated resignation letter, Richards accused the PA leader of dismissing councillors without following proper processes.
“Whenever the president of the PA goes on Facebook live, he threatens PA councillors. He fires councillors on Facebook without procedures.
“Councillors feel threatened every time he goes on Facebook because they fear they could get fired. Everything depends on the whims of the leader.”
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In councils where the party is backing the ANC, councillors shockingly witness their party changing its anti-ANC stance “for the sake of positions”, said Richards.
“The PA is the ANC in camouflage. They are taking the votes given to them by voters who trusted them to oppose the ANC and create a better government. They are using that voting power to bring back the ANC into power.
“This is a betrayal of the trust voters had given us, and it makes it impossible for voters to trust me as a PA councillor in Cape Town.”
He further accused the party of abandoning its Cape Town metro councillors and “treating them like dirt” and are never recognised for the hard work he said they do in communities.
Commenting on Richard’s resignation via Facebook, McKenzie said the party knew Richards was holding meetings with the DA.
“We’ve known about it for some time. We also know that you are not the only one meeting with the DA. You can’t leave a party today and become a member of another party tomorrow.
“We are coming up with big changes for the Cape metro, because we know the DA has gone out to try to poach PA councillors, they are poached even by other parties. Go well, councillor Aslam, we wish you the best.
“This is not a gang. People have a right to leave.”
Another councillor has been picked and would be sworn in to replace Richards, said McKenzie.
He added that he never spoke badly about the ANC when he left the party during former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure.
“When media people asked me questions, I told them I have nothing to say. I didn’t want to say anything bad about Zuma when I left. Do not badmouth people even when you leave your job, this is life, you are gonna need them someday. Do not burn bridges.”
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