The Democratic Alliance has denied the allegations of racism levelled against it by former councillors in the party.
On Thursday, five councillors resigned in solidarity with embattled Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, citing alleged racism within the DA among their reasons.
The DA’s Deputy Chairperson of its Federal Council Natasha Mazzone says the timing of the resignations seems to have been an attempt to detract from the allegations contained in the Bowman Gilfillan reports, which implicate De Lille in covering up alleged corruption.
De Lille, meanwhile, is taking legal opinion on whether to resign at the end of the month as agreed with the DA.
Mazzone says the remarks made by the councillors on their exit show that they themselves are racist and do not belong in the DA.
“I think that had they experienced racism I find it very hard to believe that it’s taken them so many years to come out and speak about it now on the day that they resign.”
“We have many other people of colour in the caucus who are very happy and who absolutely deny the allegations, I deny the allegations vehemently and in actual fact find what they said about black leadership in our party to be extremely offensive and highly racist themselves.”
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