The Independent Democrats suffered a setback on Wednesday with the defection of two of its seven MPs, Cecil Burgess and Chris Wang, to the African National Congress.
Western Cape MPL Mzwandile Manjiya also defected to the ANC along with Burgess and Wang.
The ID has already lost two MPLs — one in Gauteng and one in the Western Cape — during the current window for MPs and MPLs to cross the floor to other parties without losing their seats. The window closes at midnight on Thursday.
ID leader Patricia de Lille told the Mail & Guardian Online on Wednesday that she feels ”most definitely” betrayed.
”We had no idea that they were planning to jump ship,” she said.
However, De Lille said she will ”fight on” and continue to challenge the government.
Wang told the M&G Online that he moved to the ANC because he felt he was not ”utilised properly” at the ID. He felt like a ”politician doing admin work”.
He said he is happy with his decision to move to the ANC and will ”try to make [his] stay successful”.
Burgess, who is also De Lille’s lawyer, said he believes he was ”underutilised in the expertise that I have” in the ID.
”I’m particularly well-trained in the legal field, and I came to Parliament to make a contribution … I’ve been finding in the past year-and-a-half that I haven’t been able to get down to work in the field and make the contribution I wanted to make.
”So, I’ve taken the opportunity now to see if the ANC can’t utilise me in a much better position,” he said.
On whether he would continue to be De Lille’s lawyer, Burgess said it would be up to her.
”I went to see Mrs De Lille … I did not abandon her. I’ve offered her the opportunity that I will still represent her in matters. I still remain an attorney. I choose what clients I want to, and I think that I would remain her attorney if she so chooses.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, the ID stated: ”It feels they may have used us as a springboard to get into the ANC. If this is the case, then we are really hurt by this premeditated action.
”It is the voters once again who suffer in all this. The 265 000 votes we received at the last election must feel somewhat betrayed today … Change is difficult but not bad. We will not let our heads go down and will keep focused on making South Africa better.
Welcoming Burgess and Wang to the ANC at a media briefing at Parliament on Wednesday, Minister of Defence and ANC chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota said there is a ”genuine search by South Africans to find common positions that will be in the interests of the country”.
”We are very happy… that so many South Africans have been increasingly finding out that the ANC is a broad church in which everybody can come into the organisation [and] make their contribution.
”We make no demands for narrow and restricted orientation. It is important for us that the general objectives of the upliftment and development and advancement of the country are acceptable,” Lekota said.