ACDP REBUTS SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS BY THE DA
ACDP President, Rev Kenneth Meshoe MP, responded today to serious allegations in the press by the DA against the ACDP.
"I wish to express my fullest confidence in Cllr. Grant Haskin, acting Executive Mayor of Cape Town, as well as other ACDP councillors in Cape Town, two of whom hold sub-council chairs. Whilst Cllr. Haskin will respond in detail to allegations made against him and also against ACDP MPL, Ms. Pauline Cupido, it is no secret that the DA has wanted the deputy mayor's position for some time now. This is confirmed by DA Leader Helen Zille's spokesperson, who, according to media reports, said that for the DA to be as effective as possible politically, it had to gain control over the Deputy Mayor seat.
We believe that the DA is trying to influence public opinion ahead of their intended vote of no-confidence against Cllr. Haskin later this month by spreading untruths, such as that the ACDP voted for the ANC's premier candidate in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature. For the record, the ACDP did not support the ANC in that vote, having decided at a national level not to support the ANC, particularly in the Western Cape.
Considering Cllr. Haskin's exemplary track record as Executive Deputy Mayor, we believe there is no substance to a vote of no confidence in him. This is supported by the fact that Ms. Zille had full confidence in Cllr. Haskin being acting Mayor of Cape Town when she stood down.
I also wish to emphasise that whilst we are committed to multi-party governance such as that which the ACDP pioneered in Cape Town, and have a multi-party agreement to work with the DA and other parties in Cape Town, there was no such agreement at provincial or national level.
The ACDP is fully appreciative that the political landscape has changed dramatically with the advent of Cope and the success that the DA has achieved in the recent elections in the Western Cape. Whilst we fully concede that we are fallible at times, and have apologised where necessary, we are understandably disappointed by the DA's conduct. It smacks of political opportunism and is a breach of the multi-party agreement entered into by the DA when they most needed the ACDP to obtain control over Cape Town in 2006.
The ACDP has requested further clarity from the DA regarding its serious allegations and will engage with its leadership once we have obtained their response. It warrants noting that just because we are part of a multi-party government in Cape Town, the ACDP is under no obligation to blindly support the DA at every turn."
Statement issued by Kenneth Meshoe, MP, ACDP President, May 12 2009
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