Cape Town mayor Helen Zille and Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille put up a united front on Tuesday against the floor-crossing onslaught of controversial city councillor Badhi Chaaban.
Chaaban, a member of the African Muslim Party (AMP), is facing a council disciplinary inquiry over claims that he offered ID and Democratic Alliance (DA) councillors cash and positions to join his yet-to-be-formed National People’s Party.
The meeting between Zille and De Lille in Zille’s office on Tuesday did not produce any hands-off pact on signing up each other’s members.
”We agreed that I didn’t come here to come and ask mayor Helen Zille not to take ID members or vice versa,” De Lille told journalists afterwards.
”That is not the issue here today [Tuesday]. What is at issue is that the city is under siege.”
In a statement issued on Monday, the ID had implied that DA poaching would be one of the issues raised.
De Lille, who had asked for the meeting, said the ID would do everything to keep the city stable, and its coalition government together.
Zille, who is also leader of the DA, said that while there was no ”non-aggression pact” between the DA and ID on floor-crossing, she and De Lille were absolutely committed to working together to keep Chaaban out of government in the city.
”I’ve no doubt that if Badhi Chaaban gets a position of power in government, we will slide into a process that will result in the machinery of state being used for unlawful purposes,” she said.
”And that is a point of no return for any democracy.”
The ID is the second largest party in the DA-led multiparty government that controls Cape Town by a margin of 20 seats.
”There are big things at stake here,” said Zille. ”It’s not about an individual, it’s not about two individuals, it’s not about a coalition government, it’s not about a political party, it’s not about the normal change of governments in democratic processes.
”It has to do with an individual and an agenda that has very sinister implications for our whole constitutional democracy.”
Both Zille and De Lille said their parties would not offer payments or favours to induce politicians to join them.
Chaaban, who describes himself as ”a gentleman” with ”high morals”, is currently suing Zille for defamation, following remarks she made in a radio interview.
Earlier this year he reportedly entered into talks with the African National Congress, without his party’s consent, with the intention of forming an alliance to unseat Zille.
As a result the AMP was expelled from the city coalition. — Sapa