Janine Oelofse
FORMER DA councillor Johann Brummer is taking the party to court for dismissing him without following due process. Brummer had his membership terminated for apparently failing to pay candidate fees.
However, he has said the DA's action against him was "totally in conflict with the constitution, vindictive and unfair, and amounts to unjust administrative action".
"The DA has in its haste to purge the party of me not followed due process. I am taking the decision of the DA's federal executive to dismiss me to the Cape High Court for review and setting aside."
Brummer said he would bring an urgent application against the DA to stay his dismissal and reinstate him as proportional representative councillor on both the Bitou and Eden District councils within the week.
The registrar of the DA's federal legal commission, Debbie Shaefer, said Brummer and a Cape Town councillor, Jemayne Andrews, had been dismissed for failing to pay their candidate fees. Another four people had received notices that their fees were outstanding.
Public representatives of the party have to pay a candidate fee upon their election to office as well as a monthly tithe.
"Several people have had their membership terminated for failure to pay tithes some time ago, but I do not have the details. There are another four people, apart from Andrews and Brummer, who have received notices of cessation of membership," she said.
Altogether, Shaefer said, there were 37 people across the country who had not paid their dues and who were facing further action.
The matters will all be referred to the DA's federal legal commission and then to the federal executive for confirmation, but Shaefer said until the process had been finalised, she could not identify the party members involved.
DA leader in Plettenberg Bay, Liz Mundell, said the party was in the process of appointing Brummer's replacement.
"We are unable to comment further at this stage, but will do so after all procedures have been completed."
Brummer said the move was a witch-hunt against him because he blew the whistle on irregularities in the election process of Plett's Ward 2 office bearers, a traditional DA stronghold. He had also raised questions about the appointment of a new municipal manager – a post which has yet to be filled – and the dropping of disciplinary charges against two senior officials.
Mayor Memory Booysen said the charges had to be dropped as the process followed was flawed.
