ANC stoops to new low - DA

2007-09-19 17:07

Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance on Wednesday accused the African National Congress in Mpumalanga of "Mugabe-style" politics for allegedly forcing councillors to sign floor-crossing forms.

Mpumalanga DA leader Anthony Benadie claimed the ANC held hostage a councillor of the Steve Tshwete municipality (Middelburg) and threatened his life if the councillor did not sign a floor-crossing form.

"The ANC in Mpumalanga stooped to a new low when instead of the usual chequebook politics, it resorted to Mugabe-style politics," he said in a statement.

The ANC in Mpumalanga on Wednesday dismissed Benadie's allegations as being without foundation.

Coalition threat

Benadie said the ANC in Steve Tshwete had lost six ward councillors who chose to cross the floor and become independent candidates. This would have resulted in the ANC losing power to a coalition of opposition parties.

Benadie said the DA had a signed affidavit by one of the six councillors which stated that the councillor had been forcefully abducted by ANC members and taken to the Emalahleni municipal offices in Witbank.

The DA said the councillor had then been intimidated by ANC Nkangala regional chair Charles Makola and others, and told that his life would be saved if he signed a blank floor-crossing form.

Criminal case

Benadie said the councillor had written to the Independent Electoral Commission requesting them to ignore the second floor crossing form, and had opened a criminal case of abduction and intimidation at the Mhluzi police station.

ANC Nkangala regional chair Makola said he was aware of the claims made.

"I do not think they have any foundation. I do not think there is any basis for this kind of allegation that people were made to sign.

"It is misleading, nobody communicated with those people."

Makola said he wanted to study the allegations made by the DA and stressed that the ANC had not been involved in any form of intimidation against anybody.

- SAPA