New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk was adamant on Thursday that his decision to move from national to provincial government did not mean the NNP’s ”cooperation pact” with the African National Congress was on the rocks and his hopes of a Cabinet job had been dashed.
”I was before a very clear choice,” Van Schalkwyk said in an interview after his appointment as Western Cape premier.
”We cannot allow the situation in the Western Cape to further deteriorate, which will be to the detriment to us as a party, but also to the whole concept of the NNP-ANC governing together. And it was quite clear to me we need some decisive action to stabilise the situation.”
Van Schalkwyk, a national MP, this week became the third Western Cape premier in six months, amid speculation that he may move on again.
He said talks with the ANC were continuing at senior leadership level and left open his future options.
”No moves are precluded. [But] I’m not going to go to the Western Cape and again leave the premiership in three months’ time. When I do this, I’m going to do it properly.
”Once the rest of the agreement is implemented we will appoint other people to those positions.”
It is understood that Van Schalkwyk would not accept a deputy minister’s post. But it is unlikely that a Cabinet job will become available ahead of the December ANC congress. As delicate negotiations are taking place within the ruling party, where ministers bring with them clearly defined constituencies, a Cabinet reshuffle falls to the bottom of the agenda.
The terms of the NNP-ANC pact clearly indicate that the NNP could expect posts ”at all levels of government”, in addition to other jobs such as ambassadorships. Seven months later it has secured only the Western Cape premiership and the chair of Parliament’s public accounts committee.
The ANC national executive committee is known to have objected to the very generous terms negotiated by ANC chairperson Mosioua Lekota. It reportedly insisted there would be no Cabinet jobs for the NNP in ANC provinces, and no national government posts before the Democratic Alliance’s sway in the Cape Town unicity was broken.
Van Schalkwyk has acknowledged a certain irony in becoming Western Cape premier on June 21 after having rejected a similar offer last year following the DA break-up.
”There were people in the party who requested me to consider it. At that stage my feeling was no, we should give Peter Marais the opportunity.”
His decision to move now means there is pressure to right the political soap opera in the Western Cape amid a lack of credible provincial leadership. But the move also indicates awareness of the NNP’s potentially precarious slip into a regional Western and Northern Cape party. Van Schalkwyk dismissed this as nonsense: ”It’s better to be the leader of the NNP and the premier than to be just the leader.”
Van Schalkwyk expressed concern over persistent allegations of sexual harassment against Marais, who is now awaiting the outcome of a police investigation.
”If he is guilty I will be very disappointed. I have defended him on a number of occasions. I have saved his political career on a number of occasions. But he is not guilty yet,” said Van Schalkwyk.
Marais has weathered two civil suits for damages of R1,5-million and R1-million by former NNP women MECs Audrey van Zyl and Frieda Adams respectively.
Meanwhile, the crunch is approaching for the DA’s Western Cape leader, Gerald Morkel, accused of taking secret money from millionaire fugitive from justice Jurgen Harksen — despite his repeated protestations of innocence.
The finding of a DA internal probe was handed to party provincial chairperson Theuns Botha on Thursday morning. It will be kept under wraps until Saturday, according to Botha, with an announcement expected after the DA federal council meeting.
On Monday a visibly stressed Morkel insisted he was ”never, ever asked to resign”, but admitted two party colleagues suggested a leave of absence. He also acknowledged ”a feeling among certain people” that he should step down, although no one had directly asked him.
Instead, Morkel announced he would relinquish his ceremonial duties only.
This announcement came in front of a raucous caucus — said to be increasingly fragile as the first-ever floor-crossing window period looms.
Morkel acknowledged that about R500 000 was handed over, but insisted it came from a reputable German businessman, not Harksen.
”So yes, money was handed over from the secretary [Werner Schwella] to the banker [Erik Marais]. I didn’t instruct them what to do with the money,” he insisted.
This starkly contrasts with evidence by former DA Western Cape secretary Schwella before the Desai commission this week. On Monday he testified that Morkel told him to pick up money from Leon Markovitz, who in turn handed him a ”white envelope with Deutschmark”, saying he would repay the one note he had taken.
Schwella’s evidence seemingly corroborates that of suspended Absa senior manager Marais, who last week testified how Morkel told him to collect an envelope of Deutschmark and exchange it.
Almost all the DM99 000 was paid into the DA bank account in instalments after Marais used his passport to exchange the currency at Absa branches, Rennies’ Travel offices and during a private holiday in Amsterdam. A remaining R90 000 was handed to Scorpions investigators, who are currently pursuing criminal charges of money-laundering, fraud and corruption.
In the interview, Van Schalkwyk maintained Morkel and Markovitz acted on behalf only of the DA. ”They would not have dared to do that in the NNP. They knew I would not have allowed that. That’s why I was never invited to the Harksen lunches.”
The Desai Commission on Thursday received a print-out of Harksen’s cellphone bill showing he had contacted Morkel up to five times a day in January.
A copy of the full lawyer’s bill for Morkel’s court case against the NNP last year was among the documents. It was found in an envelope under the sink in Harksen’s wife’s boutique.