The African National Congress’s disciplinary hearing of embattled Beaufort West politician Truman Prince has been postponed to June 6.
”We could not finalise the case today [Sunday],” said Mcebisi Skwatsha, the ANC’s provincial secretary in the Western Cape.
Skwatsha, speaking outside the building where the in-camera tribunal was taking place, said about three-quarters of the matter was concluded during the committee’s two-day sitting.
The decision to postpone the matter was simply a matter of running out of time, he said.
Skwatsha said the postponement was not influenced at all by a decision last week by the Central Karoo district municipality to ignore the recommendation of the South African Local Government Association (Salga) that it suspend Prince, who is municipal manager there.
The municipality did not suspended Prince because no written representations were submitted to Salga. Prince, however, is suspended from the ANC.
”We don’t want a trial by media,” he said, demurring to answer further questions on what he called an ANC internal matter.
Committee chairperson Peter Williams said several witnesses had already testified and were cross-examined ”at length”.
Only Prince, who faces four charges of misconduct and bringing the party into disrepute, and another of his witnesses remain to testify.
Meanwhile, Prince’s advocate, Charles Simon, said his client pleaded not guilty to all charges, including alleged intimidation and death threats.
An optimistic-sounding Simon described witnesses for the prosecution as ”not convincing” and ”not good”.
On the main charge, in which Prince allegedly solicited under-age girls during a television documentary on child prostitution in Beaufort West, Simon said this matter had already been dealt with in the Cape High Court.
Simon said Prince had entered into a plea-bargain settlement and therefore ”couldn’t be punished twice”. — Sapa