Cape Town – Allegations that members of the Democratic Alliance (DA) had leaked information that Premier Helen Zille used spy technology on her colleagues had caused a clampdown within the party, according to the African National Congress (ANC).
“The DA is leaking like a sieve and giving away members for mahala,” said Marius Fransman, chairperson of the opposition ANC in the Western Cape.
“There is a clampdown and there is victimisation.”
Fransman addressed media during the sitting of provincial legislature on Tuesday where the ANC were expected to table a motion of impeachment against Zille.
The proposed vote of no confidence by the ANC related to Zille’s alleged use of state resources to finance surveillance within her provincial government.
According to the allegations, Zille had knowingly acquired the services of policeman Paul Scheepers to carry out espionage under the guise of debugging cellphones.
It was also alleged that the province’s former MEC of Community Safety Lennit Max, and MEC of Health Theuns Botha, had been the source of the allegations.
Zille on Monday in her official newsletter, “Inside Government”, said Fransman had let slip their names.
“Fransman revealed that the source of the allegations that I was spying on my own colleagues was Lennit Max and Theuns Botha,” Zille wrote.
“The fact that both these gentlemen are no longer part of the provincial cabinet says what needs to be said.”
Zille also refuted the spy allegations for which the state had not charged her.
Fransman has called the Hawks to investigate with urgency the criminal case opened against Zille by the ANC through its provincial office in late November.
“This is a very grave matter,” said Fransman. “We do not believe this is a political case, this is criminal.”
Fransman said every “private citizen, every political actor, and every opposing party” should be shocked by Zille’s alleged actions, as individuals’ privacy was at stake.
He alleged that police had found surveillance equipment in Scheepers’ position, affirming the ANC’s claim that Zille was spying.
“The equipment they found had little to do with debugging,” said Fransman.
Furthermore, said Fransman and member of provincial legislature Richard Dyantyi, this most recent claim of Zille spying on her own government followed her track record.
“We are not surprised,” said Dyantyi. “There is an eight-year journey of spying.”
According to Dyantyi, the ANC’s belief that Zille made use of spies traces back to the early 2000’s. He said that the ANC had, under the leadership of Ebrahim Rasool, long suspected Zille.
These suspicions eventually led to the Erasmus Commission of Inquiry which, according to Zille, served purely as a “political hit squad”.
“She has not stopped what we suspected then,” said Dyantyi.
Dyantyi said that when the motion was tabled, he would challenge Zille on her claim she had been cleared on spy allegations related to the Erasmus Commission and she was simply “out on a technicality”. The Commission was eventually stopped after it was deemed to be unconstitutional.
At time of writing, the legislature was yet to table the ANC’s motion.
African News Agency
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.