Cape Town - Mossel Bay DA ward councillor Anco Barker who tendered her resignation from the party on Friday, has said she could no longer be silent about alleged illegal actions that could be detrimental to the residents of the town.
Barker confirmed her resignation from the party and as councillor in a video on social media.
“In November 2021 I took an oath that I will be faithful to the Republic of South Africa and I stood by that oath.
“I have seen how the DA caucus in Mossel Bay have acted in an unfit, dishonest and untransparent manner, by means of willingly and knowingly withholding critical information from agenda items to mislead council.
“A fraudulent action that I can no longer be silent about. “When I took the oath I meant it, and when I joined the DA in 2021 I believed that they were open and transparent as their values state.
“Sadly, they have acted in the complete opposite in the detriment of the residents of Mossel Bay,“ she said.
DA Mossel Bay political head Jaco Londt on Sunday said they respect Barker’s decision to resign and wish her well.
“Mossel Bay is proud of our service delivery record and it is illustrated in the strong mandate we received, bucking the trend and showing significant growth in the most recent election.
We are unapologetically a party for all, we have robust debate and then ensure that as a collective we take decisions for the benefit of the entire community.
“Our record of delivery and thinking outside the box to face challenges head-on is one we are proud of and one we strive daily to continue and build on,” he said.
Her resignation followed that of DA proportional representation (PR) councillor and former Knysna municipality council speaker Julie Lopes, who also resigned from the party on Friday.
Lopes is reported to have joined ActionSA.
DA Constituency head in Knysna, Dion George however, said Lopes assured the party that she will remain a member.
“Julie did contact me and she did indicate that she will remain a DA member, which was obviously untrue.
I have no further comment,” he said. Lopes could not be reached on Sunday.
In a statement on Saturday, ActionSA said it welcomed Lopes to the party as part of its “continued growth trajectory” in the run-up to the all-important 2024 elections.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said: “Alongside ActionSA National Spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni, Gauteng Chairperson Funzi Ngobeni, and Western Cape Chairperson Michelle Wasserman, I welcomed Lopes to ActionSA at a press briefing at the City of Johannesburg Ward 7 where our candidate Vuyo Kamba will be competing in an important by-election on the 28 June.
“Lopes - who worked at the Legal Aid Clinic at the University of the Free State and has extensive experience in municipal law- will play an important role with Wasserman to undertake strategic litigation in the Western Cape to ensure that the voices of so many forgotten by the current provincial government are heard.”
Cape Times