Cape Town –The ANC in the Western Cape has withdrawn its coalition agreement with convicted rapist Kannaland mayor Jeffrey Donson.
In 2008 Donson, who is a member of the Independent Civic Organisation of SA (Icosa), was convicted for the rape of a 15-year-old girl during his tenure as mayor.
He was re-elected to the top spot following a coalition agreement with the ANC in the province in the recent municipal elections.
Since the announcement of his second term as mayor, much backlash has been received from child activists and NGOs who are opposed to him leading the community while having a criminal record, and there were growing calls for the ANC to make a decision on whether to maintain the relationship with Icosa.
ANC spokesperson in the Western Cape Sifiso Mtsweni said on Wednesday the party’s negotiating team had been mandated to process the decision of the provincial leadership to withdraw from the coalition. “Yesterday the provincial coordinator visited Kannaland to effect this decision. The ANC Speaker of the municipality is being withdrawn and we will assume opposition in the municipality,” he said.
Last week Icosa’s provincial chairperson David Kamfer slammed the media for creating a negative narrative about Donson. “The sudden negative media coverage is a well-orchestrated agenda to diminish the good work done by Icosa for the community of Kannaland and to impugn the Constitutional rights of the community to elect public officials of their choice.
“He was convicted of statutory rape and indecent assault in 2008 of a minor who lived as a life partner of a 50- year-old man for some time, and as such, had no knowledge of her age at the time and assumed that she was of legal age,” Kamfer said.
tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za
Political Bureau