Cape Town – The ANC in the Western Cape’s negotiating team is meeting with representatives of the Independent Civic Organisation of SA (Icosa) to decide their future with the Kannaland council.
Following public outrage regarding the re-election of mayor Jeffrey Donson who was convicted of statutory rape, ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said talks were under way to determine whether to proceed with the coalition agreement, as grave concerns had been raised by ANC members and members of the public about the candidates put forward by Icosa in Kannaland.
Donson, with the support of Icosa, announced that he would not be vacating his seat despite calls for him to step down.
Mtsweni said on Tuesday the provincial ANC’s decision will be announced soon.
DA MPL Gillion Bosman earlier in the day said Donson’s decision to remain in his seat proved that he had “no respect for his victims or community”.
Bosman described Donson as a “sexual predator” and alluded to the mayor and his deputy Werner Meshoa being “criminals, only using public office to further their looting”.
“The ANC are the ones keeping Donson in power. We know that Donson would not have stepped down. He has no respect for his victims or his community.
“Both Donson and the deputy mayor are criminals only using public office to further their looting. They need these positions to continue filling out their patronage.
“He has not stopped his sexual predatory ways,” Bosman said.
Icosa’s provincial chairperson David Kamfer slammed the media for creating a negative narrative about Donson.
“The sudden negative media coverage is a well-orchestrated agenda to diminish the good work done by Icosa for the community of Kannaland, and to impugn the Constitutional rights of the community to elect public officials of their choice.
“Icosa refuses to allow the media and the DA to decide who we elect as our leaders as we are the voters’ choice and it is their right to decide who they want as their community leaders,” he said.
Kamfer further defended Donson by saying that he never had knowledge of the rape victim being underage at the time of the incident which happened in 2004.
“He was convicted of statutory rape and indecent assault in 2008 of a minor who lived as a life partner of a 50-year-old man for some time, and as such, had no knowledge of her age at the time and assumed that she was of legal age,” Kamfer said.
tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za
Political Bureau