DA rejects Nqaba Bhanga’s evidence-free slurs

26 June 2023

The DA rejects the evidence-free slurs directed by Nqaba Bhanga at the Chairperson of the Federal Council, Helen Zille. Bhanga’s claims were recorded in a poorly written post on Facebook which he had to edit multiple times. These claims fall flat at the first and most simple hurdle.

Bhanga claims that Zille was in Gqeberha on Friday night in furtherance of some far-fetched conspiracy against him. However, the DA has confirmed that Zille was not even in the Eastern Cape at the time.

Bhanga went further to allege an “investigation” by Zille into his property, this is also patently false. The only body tasked with investigation in the DA is the Federal Legal Commission (FLC), a politically independent body within the party, and can only be commenced with after a formal complaint has been lodged and tagged. The FLC conducts its work without fear and favour.

It is difficult to speculate on what could have caused Bhanga to post such obviously and verifiably false claims on Facebook, rather than raising them within the structures of the party. Sadly this latest incident is part of a deeply unfortunate pattern of destructive personal behaviour. The DA leadership have on several occasions made interventions and have attempted to support him to deal with the underlying issues. Bhanga has however reneged on his commitments to these interventions.

While the DA’s commitment to the rule of law means that we always take bona fide allegations seriously, that same commitment means that we also have zero tolerance for false or slanderous claims of racism. As we have seen before, spurious claims of racism are damaging and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.

The simple truth is that Bhanga has at no stage provided any evidence to support his claims. Unless this changes, the DA will treat this as an egregious case of slander against the party and take all appropriate steps, including through the FLC. Rather than lashing out at the party that has shown him nothing but compassion and support throughout his personal struggles, we once again encourage Bhanga to seek appropriate help.

Issued by Andrew Whitfield, Leader of the DA in the Eastern Cape, 26 June 2023