CAPE TOWN (Sapa-AFP) - The ANC called Thursday for the head of opposition leader Helen Zille over claims that taxpayers were made to foot the bill for a private investigation into a political opponent.
In its latest attempt to unseat Zille as Cape Town mayor, the African National Congress tabled a statement in parliament urging her to resign over claims the city paid for a probe initiated by her DA party.
"The Democratic Alliance in the city of Cape Town has broken the law by using taxpayer's money to spy on their political opponents," said ANC MP Randall van den Heever in a statement on behalf of the party.
"In a desperate attempt to hold on to power at any cost they have hired private investigators to monitor and tap private conversations.
"Helen Zille ... must resign."
The Cape Times newspaper has reported the city council paid a private company for electronic surveillance, intelligence, undercover agents and the recording of conversations as part of a probe into councillor Badih Chaaban.
Chaaban was a member of the minority African Muslim Party, which was part of a DA-led coalition running Cape Town until the beginning of the year, when it joined forces with the ANC in the council.
But the coalition survived when it was in turn joined by the Independent Democrats.
During a recent floor-crossing period, Chaaban formed the National People's Party and vowed to take over the city government but was unable attract enough councillors.
A recent city council disciplinary committee found Chaaban guilty of "having enticed colleague councillors to resign from their current parties in exchange for gratification", and recommended his expulsion.
"Mayor Helen Zille has misused council funds to pay for an illegal investigation that was initiated by the DA for narrow party-political interests," claimed Van den Heever.
"It is unacceptable that a council engages in espionage against its own councillors. It is an abuse of power and a knife held at the very throat of democracy."
Zille has denied the claims, but undertook to appoint a private inquiry.
She told the public broadcaster SABC on Thursday that the mandate for the investigation came from the city council. The DA had contemplated a probe, but decided not to go ahead when it learnt the city was doing so.
"The allegation is this: that the city paid for work the DA wanted done. This didn't happen," she said.
"It is a storm in a very small teacup."
Ebrahim Rasool, leader of the ANC-governed Western Cape of which Cape Town forms part, also expressed disquiet about the allegations.
"If true, it shows that the government of the city of Cape Town will do anything to sustain itself."
