Hundreds leave ID
2004-03-28 15:51
Cape Town - In a potentially damaging blow to the Independent Democrats on the eve of the general elections, five Western Cape branches announced on Sunday their decision to leave the party.
Addressing journalists, group spokesperson Charles Golding, said the branches - Hanover Park, Welcome Estate, District Six, Steenberg and Bo-Kaap - represented between 400 to 500 members, and predicted "the bleeding will not stop".
"The ID is not very strong in taking up local issues which branches have repeatedly raised with provincial and national structures... the ID said it is a grassroots party that deals with common issues, it is not.
"It might be preached, but in reality, it does not happen," said Golding, the former secretary of the Welcome Estate branch.
'Personal fiefdom'
Golding lambasted ID leader Patricia de Lille, whom he said treated the party as a personal fiefdom.
"She treats members in a high-handed and dismissive manner... her leadership style is dictatorial and undemocratic."
Golding, who was supported by Ernest Swift and William Papier, also accused De Lille and the party of a lack of transparency. "which is quite ironic... (given the fact that) her popularity stems from the fact that she commercialised transparency in government."
Golding said these were among the reasons for the decision to abandon the party, which he said had already failed as a political party.
Golding confirmed that members of the splinter group had been courted by the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance in the past two weeks when the decision had been taken to leave the ID.
However, he denied that Sunday's briefing was financed or instigated by the ID's political opponents.
Corruption
Meanwhile De Lille, said on Sunday she did not want to comment because "(it) will give them credibility."
"These guys have been fired for corruption... it can't be seen in isolation, (they are) party of the Steenberg clique."
The corruption alluded to by De Lille related to alleged fraud perpetrated by people who represented ghost ID branches in the areas of Seawinds, Steenberg and Sheriton Park.
- SAPA