Suspended Western Cape leader of the Independent Democrats, Lennit Max, on Thursday afternoon said he had not done anything to deserve the suspension.
In a statement Max said he became aware of his ”alleged suspension” on Wednesday when members of the media contacted him for comment.
”To date I have only received a very vague formal notification about it [the suspension] and I still don’t know what it really means,” he said.
He said the secretary of the Western Cape legislature informed his legal representative that the legislature has also not yet been informed of his suspension.
ID Secretary General Avril Harding has however confirmed telephonically to his legal representative that Max had been suspended as member of the party.
Harding also confirmed that he would have to give up his seat in the legislature.
Max said: ”There is a lot of confusion about what is really going on due to the conflicting telephone conversations. My legal representative and I are still trying to find out what is actually going on.”
Max said he was not aware of any disciplinary steps against him that could have led to his suspension.
He said he had not laid any charges against anyone in the party at a law enforcement agency or any other agency. He also denied ever having blackmailed anyone.
Max said he did not want to retaliate against the leader of the party, Patricia de Lille.
”This is just a statement to make sure that truth will prevail in the best interest of the ID and the voters of the Western Cape.”
He pledged his full support in any investigation, to allow ”justice to prevail”.
Max’s statement followed De Lille’s decision to open her personal bank account records to members of the media on Thursday to refute claims by Max that she pocketed about R400 000 meant for party coffers.
Speaking to journalists in her parliamentary office, De Lille rejected Max’s allegations, and said the ID was very open and transparent.
”The truth will always survive… we will get to the bottom of the allegations,” she said.
It was also puzzling why Max had never raised the issue with her personally or in the party’s weekly caucus meetings over a period of seven months, De Lille said.
Earlier on Thursday, De Lille announced Max had been suspended as a member of the party with immediate effect, pending a formal disciplinary hearing.
The hearing would be held in early January 2005 when Max would be charged, and he ran the risk of being expelled from the party.
The suspension was also applicable to his status as a member of the Western Cape legislature, she said.
A preliminary investigation into his activities in the party had revealed that his suspension arises from certain ”facts and circumstances”.
These included:
Unlawfully changing the employment contracts of the party to suit two employees at the provincial legislature;
Media leaks to Rapport and the Cape Argus newspapers;
The irregular closure of the ID’s Worcester constituency office;
The irregular dismissal of three ID employees employed at the
Cape Town and Worcester constituency offices;
Dereliction of ID duties in that he failed to appear in court to represent community members of Boschendal farms who were facing eviction;
Misappropriation of parliamentary constituency allowances; and
Acting and/or displaying behaviour amounting to an undercover agent or provocateur and in so doing bringing the party and/or its leadership into disrepute, and/or attempting to discredit and destroy the party and/or its leadership in that he was responsible for laying false charges with the police against the party and its leadership. – Sapa