ANC says DA booted speaker Shahid Esau

The Western Cape ANC is not surprised by the DA's long overdue step to kick speaker Shahid Essau out of the provincial legislature.

Speaker Esau's tenure as head of the Western Cape provincial legislature was riddled with controversy since he took office in 2009. He got embroiled in a racist slur incident when he told black women he will have them replaced with "boere" (white men) and was forced to apologise.

Esau was also under attack from his own party ranks for amongst others the selling off of heritage furniture and the bungling with a suspect bus tender where his office unduly interfered with arrangements for an oversight visit to George (empty busses left Cape Town and back to transport MPL's there who flew to George).

The latest polemic was the arbitrary appointment or extended "secondment" of the acting secretary until the next election.

ANC chief whip in this legislature Pierre Uys says: "The DA has since it took over the legislature in 2009 closed down the democratic space and democracy with numerous protests by the ANC. We saw the deliberate conflation of the role of the executive (cabinet / government) and the legislation (parliament) under the DA. The DA's executive deliberately and frequently interferes in the legislature's affairs. The DA executive remote controls the Speaker and legislature through its leaders and caucus."

This remote control also extends to the National Parliament where the national leader of the DA Helen Zille is absent, but the party is controlled with a stand-in leader.

"It is now clear the DA is dissatisfied with Esau as he did not play along and was too independent. His reward for that is to be kicked out and be demoted. His income as public representative will now fall from that of an MEC to an ordinary MP.

"Speculation was rife since April 2011 that he may be sent to the National Assembly as part of the DA's internal programme of cadre deployment. Now that decision is implemented. It is clear from the DA's statement that the DA's executive hires and fires its members, as the legislature who elected Esau was not consulted," says Uys.

The contradictory statement by the DA calls Esau's relocation his "resignation" and in the text refers to the fact that he will be "transferred" by request of the DA's provincial executive due to his health! The ANC asks if the DA is so concerned about Esau's health that he cannot continue with his work as provincial speaker, how will he be able to do the taxing work of a MP?

Esau's place in the legislature will be filled by swapping him with former embedded loyalist and Western Cape provincial legislature secretary Piet Pretorius. 

On the other hand a former committee chairperson Bill Eloff who fell out of favour (because he asked uncomfortable questions) also gets the boot in favour of another National Assembly import Archie Figlan.

The legislature at its first sitting will get the opportunity of electing a new speaker and it is unclear who the anointed DA cabinet's candidate is: Pretorius or deputy speaker Richard Majola.

Statement issued by ANC Chief Whip Pierre Uys, January 18 2012

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