Durban — ActionSA said it would conduct an internal investigation after its Newcastle councillor made an affidavit denying that the DA attempted to bribe him.
In a new twist, ward 25 councillor Shailendra Singh deposed an affidavit denying that there was any attempt to bribe him. Singh said he had read a press statement issued by ActionSA last week, which named him and referred to attempts to bribe him and said he wished to state that no attempts have ever been made to bribe him.
“Specifically, there have been no attempts to bribe me by Dean Macpherson, John Steenhuisen, Ashor Sarupen, Francois Rogers or Imran Keeka. I also want to specifically clarify that no inducements of any kind were offered to me by the DA nor by any of the above individuals,” read Singh’s affidavit.
Furthermore, he denied having been offered nor induced to accept a position in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, but the ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont told the Daily News on Monday that his party still stands by its statement that accused the DA of bribing its councillor.
He said the party had noted the affidavit and said the party would conduct an internal investigation to ascertain the councillor’s somersault.
Beaumont said it was the councillor that informed him and the party of the attempted bribery, adding he did not understand why the councillor was denying it through an affidavit.
“We still believe that DA has a case to answer, and we have our own evidence our councillor was approached and was offered a position, and we have his recording, which he sent to us,” said Beaumont.
Last week, the Daily News reported that ActionSA said it would lay charges of bribery against the DA. The DA hit back, denying allegations and calling them ludicrous.
Daily News