An Independent Democrats (ID) councillor in the City of Cape Town has sworn loyalty to the party after an anonymously sent fax suggested she was planning to defect in the coming floor-crossing window.
ID caucus leader Simon Grindrod released copies of the fax at a media briefing on Thursday, saying he believed it was a tactic to influence other councillors to walk over by showing them fake documents.
The fax, sent to the party, purports to record a guarantee by the ”National People’s Party” that it will nominate Jameelah Daniels to chair a sub-council.
However, Daniels said the first time she became aware of the supposed offer was when Grindrod showed her the fax.
”I hereby state that I remain a loyal and supportive ID member and leader,” said Daniels, who chairs the Athlone and district sub-council.
The alleged agreement does not carry her signature, but names ”B Chaaban” as a witness.
Badih Chaaban is a controversial councillor who belongs to the African Muslim Party, but has admitted he is helping set up a National People’s Party.
He denied on Thursday that he had ever entered into any sort of agreement with Daniels.
”None whatsoever,” he said.
He said he would give detailed comment on the fax once he had seen a copy, but did not know who the author was.
”Every week the ID releases another story … It’s getting boring,” he said.
Grindrod said it was ”dirty tricks month” and that it was clear Chaaban was trying to destabilise and sow mistrust among caucuses ahead of September 1, when the crossing window opens.
He said Chaaban had stated his intention of trying to get enough councillors to hold the balance of power in municipalities so as to enter into a local government agreement with the African National Congress in the Western Cape.
Grindrod said the ID was working hard to persuade members of other parties to cross to it.
”In the face of open season on the ID, I’m not going to lie back like and take it,” he said.
”We’re actively lobbying around: you’re in for a few surprises.”
The ID earlier this year said it had taped evidence that Chaaban had sought to bribe fellow councillors to cross the floor.
Chaaban rejected that claim.
Cape Town is currently controlled by a multiparty government led by the Democratic Alliance and including the ID and a number of other parties. — Sapa