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An anonymous smear email has rocked the DA a week ahead of the election of a new party leader.
In the email, allegations of sexual indiscretions and affairs are made against DA parliamentary leader and leadership hopeful Mmusi Maimane; his running mate for federal chairperson, Athol Trollip; his campaign canvasser and DA chief whip, John Steenhuisen; MP Gavin Davis, who is considered to be in Trollip’s inner circle; and DA CEO Paul Boughey.
The email, which was circulated on Friday, was sent from an untraceable email address and the author claims to be one of the women in the DA who suffered because “there are men in the DA who have made it a special pastime to choose women in the party to be their playthings”.
The email was aimed at the 1 500 delegates set to attend the party’s congress in Port Elizabeth on Saturday and Sunday, but apparently went out mostly to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal delegates.
Even though DA members and campaigners told City Press the email would not have come from DA federal chairperson Wilmot James’ camp – he’s Maimane’s opponent – a complaint was lodged with the party’s electoral officer, Penny Tainton.
She confirmed yesterday that she had received the complaint, lodged by Gauteng MPL Mike Moriarty.
Moriarty told City Press the process must run its course, and referred further queries to Maimane’s campaign manager, Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Hill-Lewis, speaking on behalf of Maimane, Trollip and James, said: “We are completely united in the utter condemnation of the email and the author, and reject it with the contempt it deserves.
“The campaign is focused on the future of the DA and on trying to build the DA. This email is not condoned by any of the candidates,” he said.
He said the claims in the email were “libellous claims about people’s private lives” and not backed up with any information.
Party members who spoke to City Press said they had no idea who sent the email, but there was some speculation that it was a disgruntled staffer and that it could even have been a man.
The author claimed the alleged sexual harassment was the reason so few women were running for leadership positions.
Out of the 21 candidates running for leadership positions at the DA’s congress, only two are women – Gauteng MPL Refiloe Ntsekhe and MP Desiree van der Walt – and they are both running for one of the three deputy federal chairperson positions.
The author of the email claims the party system “protects men that use their power to get away with the worst misogyny against women”.
Chairperson of the DA federal council James Selfe said claims that the party had no sexual harassment policy were untrue. “As you know, we are currently investigating allegations of sexual harassment made against an MP,” he said.
An unnamed MP was charged in February after he allegedly forced a female DA staffer to touch his private parts during a picket ahead of President Jacob Zuma’s state of the nation address.
