In-fighting within the UDM in the Western Cape reached new heights on Saturday with the provincial executive suspending some members, just as branches were set to meet to vote in new leadership in the province.
The party’s Western Cape secretary Booysen Magingxa told reporters in Cape Town, unicity councillor Grant Twigg’s membership of the UDM had been ”terminated” for three years for ”bringing the party into disrepute”.
District executive member Pumlani Lutya’s was kicked out of the party for two years for breaching the terms of a previous suspension, while Nkosinathi Nyameka, a UDM unicity secretary, was suspended from standing for any elected position for 18 months.
Nyameka’s suspension was for his part in organising a secret party meeting in May.
A further four members had received letters of warning against taking part in any other ”unconstitutional meetings”, although an independent inquiry had found they had done nothing wrong.
Magingxa said these expulsions were in line with the recommendations of the commission of inquiry, but still had to be ratified by the party’s national executive committee.
The inquiry was called for by the national leadership after the provincial leaders suspended members for allegedly embarrassing the party’s provincial leadership at the May meeting.
However, according to party sources, representatives from the majority of the UDM branches are to meet in Khayelitsha later on Saturday to replace the provincial executive.
They are expected to vote in new interim leaders to run the province until the next UDM congress, and are to appeal the actions taken against Twigg, Lutya and Nyameka.
The provincial executive committee received a vote of no-confidence against them at a provincial council meeting last month.
Branches of the provincial council have also laid complaints against Magingxa and his deputy Cameron Mcako for alleged misappropriations of party funds.
Magingxa said he was aware of the meeting but rejected it as unconstitutional.
”That meeting is uncalled for and unconstitutional and may even lead to more suspensions and expulsions because we are going to install discipline in the UDM,” he said.
Provincial chairman Archie Lewis played down the in-fighting within the party, saying this was normal for any political party.
”Political in-fighting will always be there in any organisation and more so in a political organisation… it is something that we will have to live with and manage,” he said. – Sapa