The Independent Democrat’s Lennit Max won another round of his marathon legal battle with the party on Wednesday afternoon.
However, the way is not yet clear for him to cross the floor to the Democratic Alliance at midnight.
On Wednesday morning, he won an order from Cape High Court Judge Dennis Davis barring the ID from filling his seat in the Western Cape legislature.
On Wednesday afternoon, Davis granted a second order preventing the ID from hearing Max’s internal appeal against the party’s decision on August 21 to expel him.
The appeal was to have been heard by two members of the party’s national executive at 2pm on Wednesday.
However, the ID’s legal team immediately sought leave to appeal Davis’s ruling, which they argued before Davis on Wednesday afternoon.
If leave to appeal is not granted, they may still try to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal before midnight on Wednesday.
A two-week floor-crossing window for members of national and provincial legislatures opens at midnight and it has been widely rumoured that Max, former Western Cape leader of the ID, intends to defect to the DA. — Sapa