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DA councillor threatened, called ‘a lowlife cockroach’ after voting with ANC

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City of Joburg council chambers. (Felix Dlangamandla, Gallo Images, Beeld, file)
City of Joburg council chambers. (Felix Dlangamandla, Gallo Images, Beeld, file)

Since voting with the ANC, axed DA councillor has been threatened, insulted and told he ‘will not live to see Christmas’

The skirmish for control of the biggest metropolitan councils has resulted in the DA losing control of all three.

And things got worse when a Johannesburg DA councillor allegedly received death threats and was called a “lowlife cockroach” for voting in support of the ANC.

Since the revelation that DA councillor Vinay Choonie was one of councillors who voted with the ANC to elect Geoff Makhubo as the new mayor of the City of Johannesburg, he has been threatened and insulted, allegedly by fellow DA councillors.

The recently axed councillor told City Press that he received a number of calls from unknown individuals calling him a “sellout” and “traitor”.

“The people who have been calling me said that I won’t live to see Christmas and some started using words like coolie and stuff like that. These are DA people, they are behaving like gangsters now,” he said.

The people who have been calling me said that I won’t live to see Christmas
Vinay Choonie

Choonie previously told City Press that there was a racial divide in the party and a deliberate attempt to concentrate on winning over the white, coloured and Indian groups.

City Press is in possession of WhatsApp screenshots in which DA councillor Dave Dewes threatened Choonie and called him a “lowlife cockroach”.

“You have now even become brave. Really sad that you could not have found this bravery to rather have resigned if you were unhappy in the DA, instead of selling your soul for a few pieces of silver to the very people who have bankrupted the country,” the message from Dewes read.

In his response to Dewes, Choonie said he was willing to fight and that he should “bring it on”.

The conversation ended with a “friendly” warning from Dewes to Choonie not to threaten him because he “might just pitch up when you are least expecting”.

“I hope you are proud of yourself and can live with your conscience, nothing to do with being white or racism. It’s got everything to do with the truth and a conscience. Always knew you were a lowlife with no balls, that you had a problem with the truth, you will fit in brilliantly with the ANC,” Dewes said.

He said he would not be comment on the matter.

Choonie and his colleague, Basil Douglas, were given disciplinary notices by the DA following their decision to vote with the ANC.

They also decided to attend the sitting – which the DA boycotted – to vote for ANC councillor Nonceba Molwele to be speaker of the Johannesburg council.

Choonie said he had not received any correspondence regarding his dismissal.

DA provincial leader Mike Moriarty had told him in a phone call on Friday.

Moriarty confirmed to City Press that the pair had been fired from their positions as councillors and as members of the party last week.

“They have transgressed the constitution in such a way that it was determined that they have ceased to be members.

“Yes, it was communicated but they seem to be ignoring it and it is conveniently so, but it is too late,” Moriarty said.

He indicated that there was no chance to appeal the decision which was made by the party and the DA would work towards finding new candidates to fill the vacancies.

When asked about the alleged death threats against Choonie, he said there was no formal complaint laid but, if there was evidence of any sort, the party would investigate the matter.

“Obviously we require our public representatives to work in a professional way and certainly if a complaint comes my way we will deal with it appropriately.

“I do not want to just accept an allegation that DA councillors are behaving inappropriately or unprofessionally in any way until I can see evidence of it,” Moriarty said.

The axing of the two members means by-elections will have to be held to fill the vacancies, which could see Choonie and Douglas being reinstated in their own capacity or another party gaining two wards.

Meanwhile, the Pretoria High Court reserved judgment on Thursday in a case brought by the DA, seeking to nullify the resolutions taken by the council to remove Tshwane mayor Stevens Mokgalapa and speaker Katlego Mathebe.

Ousted Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani said he would fight the Port Elizabeth High Court judgment, which dismissed his application to be reinstated.

“This is not the end of the road. After analysing the judgment we found out that there were a lot of errors in the information received by the judge,” Bobani told City Press.

The bid, brought by Bobani, was to overturn the result of a vote of no confidence in him earlier this month.

Judge John Smith, who read acting Judge Lisa Ntsepe’s judgment, ruled that the matter was not urgent enough and should be put back on the court roll.


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