Joint Statement by Opposition Parties in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature (ANC, GOOD, EFF, FF Plus WC, PA)
30 January 2025
The African National Congress (ANC), GOOD, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Freedom Front (FF) Plus Western Cape, and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) welcome the confirmation from the Provincial Police Commissioner, General Patekile that he will meet with members of the opposition as we requested.
The briefing will take place on Monday 3 February 2025.
As opposition parties, we are jointly concerned by statements made by Councillor JP Smith and Ms Helen Zille of the DA, relating to the ongoing police investigation into tender fraud involving Smith and Xanthea Limberg.
Smith, a member of the mayoral committee on safety and security in Cape Town, has claimed that the investigation is politically motivated and part of a plot against him.
Both Smith and Zille have claimed that they were tipped off about the investigation last year.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has also come out in defence of Smith and Limberg saying that he was not convinced by evidence presented by SAPS that the pair should be suspended.
Their allegations raise serious questions about the integrity of the investigation and the possibility of political interference in the work of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Given the seriousness of these claims, we collectively made a call for the Provincial Police Commissioner to address:
1. The alleged tip-off to Smith that he was under investigation.
2. Whether there is any substance to Smith and Zille’s claim of political machinations behind the investigation.
3. The importance of safeguarding SAPS investigations from political interference.
Our intention is not to engage with SAPS on the merits of the case but to rather unpack the DA narrative of alleged political involvement and the potential of a SAPS leak.
Issued by:
Leader of the Opposition (ANC), Khalid Sayed: 076 151 5265
Leader of GOOD in the Western Cape Legislature, Brett Herron: 082 518 3264
Leader of the EFF in the Western Cape Legislature, Thozama Mangcayi: 079 633 6861
Leader the FF Plus in the Western Cape Legislature, Grant Marais: 084 758 9262
Leader of the PA in the Western Cape Legislature, Bazil Petrus: 071 446 9031