The on-off relationship between the DA and the Patriotic Alliance is what gave Nelson Mandela Bay DA councillor Mbulelo Manyati the push to turn his back on his party.
“For the past few months, I have watched [PA councillor] Marlon Daniels humiliate us as DA councillors in the roads and transport committee,” Manyati said on Tuesday.
“This has been happening over the past few months, but I decided I have had enough.”
Manyati left South Africans shocked when he abstained from voting in an all-important no-confidence motion against speaker Jonathan Lawack, a DA councillor, on Monday.
He said Monday’s events were the culmination of months of unhappiness which started at a transport committee meeting in Greenbushes.
“At that meeting, Marlon called all DA councillors aside and told us he is leaving the coalition as he is not being given what he wants.”
Manyati claimed that soon after that meeting Daniels restarted talks with the opposition parties.
“Day in and day out Marlon Daniels disrespected us as DA councillors,” Manyati said.
“We have been humiliated by Marlon and to have him later tell us that he got what he wanted and therefore was not going anywhere – that was the last straw, it drove me crazy.”
He was referring to claims made by Daniels in July that the DA had promised to make jobs and training in the metro police available for 250 northern areas youths.
Manyati – who revealed that he had, in fact, approached the ANC, expressing interest to assist in the bid to oust Trollip – said he was at peace with his decision to abstain from voting.
“One of the MMCs [members of the mayoral committee] refused to send a loud-hailer when there was no electricity in New Brighton and when I asked why, I was told that perhaps if it was a more affluent area we would get a loud-hailer, because the people there would sue us and that it was expensive,” Manyati said.
“People in the townships go seven days without electricity – the DA does not care about black people.”
He disputed claims that he had been offered money to help opposition parties go ahead with their motions.
“This is a matter of principle – I want to emancipate our black people from Athol Trollip’s iron fist.
“I know now that I sold out my people,” Manyati said.
At a media briefing in Cape Town, Trollip said the opposition parties had collaborated to collapse the government in Nelson Mandela Bay.
He said Manyati had alerted them to attempts by other parties to pay him off or to “help him” with his fraud court case.
“Councillor Manyati turned yesterday [Monday] and it was a surprise,” Trollip said.
“He also told us opposition parties were offering him money and kept trying to get him.”
Manyati denied claims that the ANC offered to pay his legal fees for his fraud case.
“The ANC has never offered me money,” he said.
“There is a crisis in the DA. Athol is an elephant, everyone is scared of him.
“We must remember that he was in the defence force and he uses the same mentality in how he relates with black people in the DA,” Manyati said.
“The DA are hypocrites. They urge ANC members in parliament to vote with their conscience and when I do that, they are quick to terminate my membership.
“As far as I am concerned, I will remain a DA member.”
Manyati said the only way black people excelled in the DA was if they worshipped the ground Trollip walked on.
In response, Daniels said Manyati’s claims about him were news to him.
“Manyati will not be allowed to use my name as a scapegoat for betraying his own party,” he said.