Embattled Independent Democrats member of the Western Cape legislature Lennit Max says he ”strongly denies” accusations that he has tried to draw out a disciplinary hearing against him in order for him to be able to defect to a new political home next month.
He has merely tried to clear his name of allegations made against him, including those made by party leader Patricia de Lille, he said on Friday afternoon.
A disciplinary hearing — chaired by labour lawyer Sarah Christie — began early this year after he was charged by the ID of having closed Western Cape offices without the permission of the party — while he was still provincial leader in the Western Cape — and of misusing a constituency allowance.
On Friday, he withdraw an application to the Cape High Court to have Christie suspended as the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing on the grounds of bias.
He said he withdrew the application on the advice of his lawyers on Friday. He agreed to pay costs to the ID.
Meanwhile, Christie said she will either make a report or continue the hearing after consultation with the two parties — the ID’s legal team and Max’s legal team.
Max said suggestions that he was trying to draw out the case to September — when a two-week defection window for parliamentarians and members of the nine provincial legislatures opens — should be rejected ”with the contempt that it deserves”.
Christie, meanwhile, noted that she has received a fax from Max’s lawyer, Leon van Rensburg to say that Max had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
When asked if this means that he will not be present if his disciplinary hearing resumes in the next two weeks, Max said he will ”try his level best to be there”.
Asked what the symptoms of the syndrome are, he said: ”I can’t walk.”
Meanwhile, the ID said in a statement on Friday afternoon that it is ”delighted” with the outcome of the high court matter involving Max.
”In terms of the settlement, Max was forced to withdraw his application and pay the legal costs, including the cost of two legal counsel. It is up to Ms Sarah Christie, the independent chairperson appointed by the Judge President of the Cape Division, John Hlophe, to deliver the judgement in the disciplinary action in Max’s disciplinary hearing.
”The ID has been vindicated, as the presiding judge found no substance in all the allegations made by Max.
”Once more the decision by Max to withdraw his application confirms the ID’s suspicion that he was just trying to buy time until the September floor-crossing period so he could cross to the Democratic Alliance,” said the statement.
There has been much speculation that Max will be proposed as the DA’s mayoral candidate in Cape Town if he succeeds in reaching the cross-over period and joins the official opposition.
His lawyer, Van Rensburg, is a DA councillor. — I-Net Bridge