The Independent Democrats welcomed 18 municipal councillors — mainly from the New National Party — to its ranks on Wednesday, the first day of the two-week period for councillors to change parties without losing their seats.
Speaking at a function in Cape Town where six councillors from the Drakenstein and Cape Town municipalities were introduced, ID leader Patricia de Lille stressed that they will be expected to live up to the high standards set by the ID’s national leadership.
All have signed the ID’s code of conduct and agreed to ”work tirelessly to live up to the ID’s stated objective of taking politics back to the people”.
In turn, the ID will benefit from the experience the councillors bring to the party, De Lille said.
Also addressing the gathering, former NNP Cape Town councillor David Sassman said he and his colleagues had been subjected to much intimidation and threats in their former party in the run-up to the crossing period.
When these had failed, attempts at bribery and job offers had started.
Sassman said he and those with him believe they have made the right choice. The NNP leadership ”misled and betrayed” most of the 250 000 voters who supported them in the last election, and ”sold out to the highest bidder”.
He cannot understand why the African National Congress wants to accommodate people from the NNP whose clear goal is to undermine democracy.
Western Cape provincial ID leader Lennit Max emphasised that all the councillor crossing to the ID had obtained mandates from their constituencies, unlike the NNP defectors to the ANC whose careers will be ”short-lived”.
Other councillors who have crossed the floor to the ID so far included a number from municipalities in the Northern Cape, Gauteng and the North West.
De Lille campaigns by SMS
Earlier it was reported that De Lille has sent out 6 500 SMSes to councillors across the country urging them to defect to her party, according to one of her MPs, Avril Harding.
Harding said the messages urging the councillors to join the ID will be sent to all the 8 951 councillors nationwide from all political parties during the window period. — Sapa, I-Net Bridge