Cape councillors told to quit NNP if they want to keep their jobs
Marianne Merten
In a further twist in the machiavellian manoeuvrings of Cape politics, the Democratic Alliance is forcing its New National Party councillors to resign from the NNP before the end of the year or lose their jobs.
The DA is amending its interim constitution to ban dual party membership, in the absence of defection provisions. Legislation enabling MPs, MPLs and councillors to cross the floor is expected only from February 2002.
“You can’t serve two masters,” said Western Cape DA acting leader Hennie Bester on Wednesday. He rejected claims this move was aimed at intimidating councillors, as it also applied to Democratic Party members and “that does not prevent councillors from crossing the floor again when the point arises”.
In the battle for allegiances over the past weeks, NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk had urged councillors to not declare their loyalties until the defection legislation was in place to avoid disciplinary action.
Further DA constitutional amendments to tighten expulsion procedures and to woo councillors are understood to be on the cards. These include representation for the first time on the party’s national and provincial management committees. Last Wednesday the NNP federal council approved similar, if not as far-reaching, amendments.
Under pressure to harness commitment from councillors, the Western Cape DA on Saturday will become the first to hold a founding congress. To do this, the DA national management committee late on Thursday had to agree on what decisions the congress may take. Such congresses were not anticipated until the alliance had finalised its constitution originally scheduled for June next year, although this may now happen sooner.
The congress will establish proper elected structures and “democratise the DA”, to end the current nomination system based on votes obtained in the 1999 election.
Former Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel nominated DA mayor hours before his resignation came into effect at midnight on Monday is expected to become provincial DA leader. Bester will remain deputy, a post he held since the DA’s inception in June last year.
As the fight is on at municipal level, it is just a matter of time before the DA is ousted from the Western Cape government.
A deal between the NNP and African National Congress at provincial level is understood to be on the table. Both parties are playing down who gets what post to avoid a “personality competition”, but it has emerged the ANC will assert itself by claiming the premiership or the majority of provincial cabinet posts if the premier is an NNP member.
If the premiership goes to the ANC, its provincial chairman, Ebrahim Rasool, is the likely candidate; the NNP is expected to nominate Piet Meyer, the former transport MEC, who resigned last week after a series of flip-flops by provincial cabinet ministers.
Both parties have until December 12 to finalise their cooperation agreement to avoid an election. According to the Constitution, the premier’s post must be filled within 30 days after it is vacated. But Bester has thrown down the gauntlet: “Call an election. We will meet you at the hustings.”
In another week of bizarre political developments, Morkel formally resigned with a one-line fax to Van Schalkwyk “Hereby I submit my resignation as a member of the New National Party” dated September 12.
His resignation pre-empted a planned vote of no confidence to remove him and his cabinet this week. And by nominating him as a candidate for mayor, a return to office by his ousted predecessor, Peter Marais, is effectively blocked, even if the Cape High Court rules in his favour next Friday.
“Mr Morkel is most definitely the DA candidate for mayor,” said unicity speaker and DA caucus leader Danny de la Cruz. Marais could return to the DA fold, but would have to leave if he did not toe the party line. However, the show of DA unity may change radically once the floor-crossing legislation is in place early next year. The NNP might still be able to motivate the necessary 24 councillors to defect.
Morkel is regarded as the man to mobilise support among NNP rank and file for the DA. At his side is De la Cruz, who is believed to have led negotiations to strengthen councillors’ hands in the DA. On Monday he said a legal agreement “to protect interests of people where they are” was being finalised to transfer to the DA powers like choosing mayors and filling vacancies held by the NNP component on the basis of their numerical strength.
It subsequently emerged some Cape Town NNP councillors last Friday met DA leaders to establish an association between the NNP, the DA and its leader Tony Leon to secure control of the unicity and its approximately R9-billion budget.
However, the ANC may yet take up the four executive council seats it is entitled to according to results of the December 2000 municipal election. And this would again shift the power balance.