The Democratic Alliance on Thursday accused the African National Congress of using opportunistic enticements to lure municipal councillors during the 15-day floor-crossing period, and vowed to look into the possibility of amending the relevant legislation.
Briefing the media at Parliament, DA federal council chairperson James Selfe said there is a deep disgust among politicians and members of the public alike that the floor-crossing legislation is being subverted into a ”sticky bunfight”.
During the crossing period, which ended at midnight on Wednesday, the ANC tried to lure to its ranks a number of DA councillors with offers of financial inducements, positions, additional perks and privileges, he said.
”The DA is currently investigating the scope and content of these offers, and will be acquiring affidavits from those to whom inducements have been offered.”
So far, about 10 instances of bribery from around the country have been reported. However, ongoing reports suggest the scale of enticements might be much larger.
Offers include mayoral positions, executive or mayoral committee positions, jobs in government departments, jobs in the private sector and study trips abroad, Selfe said.
”All available evidence suggests that floor-crossing, which was intended to allow public representatives to cross on the basis of principle, has, at the hands of the ANC, degenerated into the lowest form of chequebook politics.
”The DA can no longer endorse a mechanism that has been perverted into what might be described as a legal form of bribery.
”Consequently, at the party’s federal council [meeting] at the weekend, proposals will be discussed for amending the legislation that permits floor-crossing,” Selfe said.
Speaking at the same briefing, DA spokesperson Helen Zille said the party gained 69 new councillors and lost 36 during the crossing period.
The gains included 56 from the New National Party, three from the Pan Africanist Congress, two each from the United Democratic Movement and the Christian Democratic Party, and one each from the ANC, the African Christian Democratic Party and the United Christian Democratic Party.
Three independents also joined up.
The DA now has 1 034 councillors — up from 1 001 before the start of the crossing period.
While the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has yet to verify each party’s situation, 85% of the almost 9 000 councillors around the country belong to the three biggest parties.
The ANC has about 5 500, the Inkatha Freedom Party about 1 200, the DA 1 034, the UDM about 200, the PAC about 100 and the ACDP about 60.
The Independent Democrats claim to have signed up 42 councillors, while about 50 councillors stayed with the NNP, despite its intention to disband, Zille said. — Sapa