Cape Town | Monday
SACKED Cape Town mayor Peter Marais used public money to pay for three newspaper adverts in which he trumpetted his return to office, Business Day reports.
Marais said in the advertisements (which cost about R16 000, according to the newspaper) that he had been “fully cleared of all speculative allegations”.
His representative Andr Fourie told the newspaper that the ads were paid for with funds from the budget allocated to the mayor’s office by the city council.
“It (the adverts) is the best way to communicate to people that the mayor is back and will continue to execute the mandate given to him by the electorate,” Fourie was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Marais has until 4pm on Monday to appeal to the federal council against his expulsion from the Democratic Alliance.
The DA’s national management committee (NMC) last week gave Marais the deadline to lodge an appeal, and set October 27 as the date for a hearing.
Marais said on Sunday he would also launch an application to the Cape High Court to review the decision to oust him.
“I am convinced that legal action is the quickest and most effective way to overturn the predetermined, unjust and ill-intentioned decision against me,” he said in a statement.
Fourie said the lodging of the appeal was just part of the procedure and that the court bid would definitely go ahead.
The NMC gave Marais the marching orders on Friday after he refused to step down from his office.
DA leader Tony Leon has accused Marais of spending ratepayers’ money inappropriately, including on an hourly-paid personal spiritual adviser.
He also said Marais, whose abortive bid to rename Adderley and Wale streets in the city centre earlier this year led to a full-scale inquiry by former judge Willem Heath, was a turn-off to potential DA donors and damaged the DA’s public image.
The mudslinging intensified on Sunday, as Marais told the SABC’s newsmaker programme: “My confidence in Tony Leon has taken a massive knock. I thought he was a democrat, I thought there were more democrats in the DA — the Democratic Party component.
“I was shocked to see them in utter silence observing the kamikaze manner in which my membership has been brought to a conclusion,” Marais told the SABC Newsmaker programme.
He said the party needed Leon “to have an image” but “with Tony Leon as leader, the DA can’t have much of a future … not if he continues on the path he is now”.
“I thought there were more democrats in the DA — the Democratic Party component.” Marais said he enjoyed wide support from politicians and the public while Leon did not have any followers.
“Everybody’s in my corner, nobody’s in Tony’s corner. I’ve got Morkel (Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel), Marthinus (New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk), Cosatu (Congress of SA Trade Unions), the ANC (African National Congress), NNP, IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party), UDM (United Democratic Party), the Muslim Party, the Middle Party — all of them saying: ‘The mayor must return to his job, he has done nothing wrong’.
“And the only person in the other corner is Tony and yet he gets his way. Isn’t there something wrong here?”.
The DA’s national management committee (NMC) on Friday acceded to Leon’s call for the mayor to be given his marching orders, after he refused to step down from his office.
Leon has accused Marais of spending ratepayers’ money inappropriately, including on an hourly-paid personal spiritual adviser.
Marais ‘can’t remember’ reasons for his sacking
Asked what reasons he was given for the decision, Marais said: “Tony rambled off a lot of reasons there which he never gave us in writing … I was never given the opportunity to speak. I can’t remember what the reasons were.”
Marais appealed to the people of the Western Cape, who had voted for him as mayor, to reconsider opposition politics.
“The voice of the Christians, the voice of the poor, the voice who spoke up for Afrikaans, has now been silenced. The people have been robbed of a voice that spoke out against privatisation … I have now been targeted,” he said.
Asked what he would do if he lost his court bid, Marais replied: “I don’t know. God determines the destiny of people. Some other doors will open. But Peter Marais will be around in politics much longer than those people who now seek my head. I’ll be around.” Marais had until 4pm on Monday to appeal to the federal council against his expulsion from the DA.
The NMC last week gave Marais the deadline to lodge an appeal, and set October 27 as the date for a hearing.
Marais reiterated that he would launch an application to the Cape High Court to review the decision to oust him on Tuesday.
“I want the court to rule that democracy has not been served. The mayor has been made a victim of a kangaroo court.” A source close to Marais said his legal advisers have suggested he not go into the office on Monday.
“So he will not be in the office. He will in any case be in preparation for the case.”
DA says Marais’ expulsion fair
DA NMC chairman James Selfe released a statement shortly after Marais’ interview, saying the procedure followed by the NMC was fair and within the terms of the party’s constitution.
“By refusing to accept the NMC decision that he should relinquish the mayoralty in Cape Town, Mr Marais brought the termination of his membership on himself.
“I therefore reject completely the suggestion that he was subject to ‘rough justice’. If Mr Marais wishes to pursue his interests in court, then that is his right. The DA will respond by defending its own interests,” the statement said.
NNP says ‘elements’ seek to undermine DA
Meanwhile the New National Party released a statement on Sunday reacting to newspaper reports that disciplinary action was planned by Leon against Van Schalkwyk.
The Sunday Independent and Rapport reported that the action was planned against Van Schalkwyk for his role in leading the revolt against Leon in the run-up to the sacking of Marais.
“It appears to be an attempt by some elements in the DP to side-step and undermine the essence of the agreed-upon interim constitution between the NNP and the DP to form the DA,” the statement said.
It said the position taken by Van Schalkwyk on Marais represented the unanimous view of the Western Cape head council of the NNP as well as the party’s national federal council.
“The rumours are therefore based on a misrepresentation and aim at promoting a hidden agenda,” the statement said.
“The campaign that is currently being waged against Mr Van Schalkwyk by certain senior elements in the DP through the media, is not in line with the letter of the DA Interim Constitution or the spirit in which the DA was formed.”
ZA*NOW:
DA crises: caught between lies and allies October 19, 2001