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The DA will lay criminal charges against two ANC ward Councillors - Ward 19 Councillor, Alexis Mare,  and Ward 6 Councillor Mahadi Nkheloane, for violently disrupting the Gangster State book launch in Sandton yesterday. These Councillors can be clearly seen in pictures which have been widely shared on social media.

This thuggish act is a direct contravention of the Municipal System Act that regulates the conduct of the Councillors. According to the Act, Councillors are expected to perform their duties in good faith (or with a desire to act fairly towards others), honestly, transparently and in the best interests of the municipality.

The DA will also be writing to the Metsimaholo Speaker, Cllr Thabo Mabasa to lodge a complaint about their thuggish act and ask him to take action against them for bringing the council into disrepute. We will demand that  the speaker enforce the code of conduct by requesting the Speaker to write to the FS Cogta MEC, Oupa Khoabane to suspend or remove the councillors from office.

Their behaviour is a clear indication of how far the ANC is willing to go in silencing the truth, they are desperately trying to hide the unmasking of the alleged state captor Ace Magashule, who brought the Free State to its knees. This is consistent with Magashule's thinking, that disrupting the launches and burning the book will deflect people's focus from the explosive allegations of State Capture.

This also shows that Magashule is still in control of this province and is still using his mafia-like tactics to hold run his criminal syndicate.

This deplorable incident by the failing ANC government is hardly surprising as they are known to unabashedly censor and punish dissenting voices.

The DA supports the freedom of expression, we will fight fiercely to protect that right and encourage people to use it. If Magashule is sufficiently aggrieved by the revelations contained in the book, we encourage him to prove his innocence and make use of legal channels and clear his name in the court of law.

Resorting to violence and causing disruption is a tacit admission that he has something to hide.

If Magashule disputes Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s account, he must challenge it before a court law, instead of deploy his thugs to terrorise citizens of South Africa.

Only the DA is committed in building one South Africa that respects the rule of law and honours the rights of individuals.

Issued by The DA