Cape Town - The opposition in the province has accused the DA of double standards following the resignation of Bonginkosi Madikizela from the executive council and as the party’s provincial leader – saying that other DA leaders who had faced accusations of lying about their qualifications were still in office.
Madikizela's resignation yesterday as Transport and Public Works MEC came shortly after a DA statement announcing that he had quit as provincial leader, a post he had held since 2018.
Cameron Dugmore, the leader of the provincial opposition (ANC), said: “Clearly the DA has exerted pressure on Madikizela to resign as provincial leader and MEC, which is in stark contrast to how they treat other DA leaders.
“The double standards are obvious. Why are they silent on the mayor of Saldanha who is alleged to have misrepresented his qualifications?
“It’s as if the DA, in the words of Tony Leon, are saying that the MEC was another failed experiment. This is a party that has one set of rules for black leaders, and another set for white leaders.”
Dugmore reiterated the ANC’s call that the code of conduct committee in the legislature should investigate whether Madikizela’s conduct breached the code of ethics.
EFF provincial spokesperson Wandile Kasibe said: “As much as we welcome Madikizela’s resignation, we also call for the resignation of Saldanha mayor Marius Koen, who is alleged to also have lied about his qualifications.
“We are not surprised by the double standards and anti-black racist position that the DA has taken, where it treats black leaders differently to how it treats their white counterparts when they are found to have committed similar offences.”
Good secretary-general Brett Herron said: "We have been calling for Madikizela to resign since the Public Protector found him guilty of lying to the legislature.
“We welcome this resignation as the only honourable thing that was left for him to do. We need Premier (Alan) Winde to be less lame and to be more proactive about unethical and unlawful conduct within his executive.”
Accepting Madikizela’s resignation, Winde said: “I believe that his decision under the circumstances was the right and honourable thing to do.
“Madikizela has worked hard in both the Human Settlements and Transport and Public Works portfolios, and I wish to thank him for the valuable contribution he has made to delivering progress in our province over the years.”
DA provincial chairperson Jaco Londt said: “We respect his decision and the honourable route he has taken by stepping down as leader. This shows the clear difference between the DA and the ANC. We look forward to working with him as a colleague in the DA going forward.”
Meanwhile, Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo last night confirmed that she had resigned her post as the DA’s Women’s Network (Dawn) national leader. Mbombo has been in the post since 2018.