ANC - Trouble in Lwandle Somerset West

‘He told them to burn tyres’

November 8 2010 at 11:20am

By Babalo Ndenze
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Cape Times

Xolani Sotashe,ANC ward councillor of Lwandle,near Somerset West.
Xolani Sotashe, the ANC councillor for Lwandle, has been accused by the DA, in an affidavit signed by a warrant officer on November 2, of inciting violence and making homophobic statements about a fellow councillor.

Police spokesman November Philander said there was no record of such an affidavit.

Mkhululi Slatsha, head of the DA branch in Lwandle, said he had deposed the affidavit with the Strand police. A copy of the affidavit, with the warrant officer’s signature, is in the Cape Times’s possession.

Slatsha alleged Sotashe had encouraged the Lwandle community in Strand to burn tyres on the N2 and to destroy “chemical toilets”.

Sotashe is alleged to have made the statements at a meeting at which the disconnection of illegal electricity connections was discussed.

He dismissed the claims and called for an investigation by the City of Cape Town, saying the “truth must come out”.

In his affidavit, Slatsha alleged Sotashe had told the community meeting that there was a “sex scandal in the DA and satanism and a man had married another man, but is still a councillor”.

Sotashe is being investigated by Speaker Dirk Smit on allegations of inciting violence, relating to the same meeting.

“Sotashe further said that he would not stop the community, they must burn tyres continuously until November 5, because on that day there will be a march from Lwandle, that includes all the informal settlements in the area, to the Strand municipal offices,” Slatsha’s affidavit says.

Sotashe denounced Slatsha as a “professional liar”.

“He was not even at the meeting,” Sotashe said.

He said the sex scandal he had referred to was mayor Dan Plato’s alleged extramarital affair, claims of which were reported by a tabloid. Plato has threatened to sue the tabloid.

The mayoral committee member for safety, JP Smith, who has been pushing for action to be taken, said all the allegations against Sotashe were “dismissible offences”.

“This is incitement of malicious damage to property,” he said. “In this run-up to elections, we are seeing so-called service delivery protests. The Speaker’s investigation process is under way. (He) is going to speak to all (involved).”

In May, Slatsha filed an intimidation complaint alleging ANC members had threatened to kill him.
babalo.ndenze@inl.co.za - Cape Times