Cape Town - Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said the saga involving two City of Cape Town’s members of mayoral committee (MMCs) will be dealt with by his party with incredible seriousness.
Addressing the media in Cape Town on Saturday, Steenhuisen said he was alerted to the Friday raids at the offices of safety and security MMC JP Smith and energy MMC Xanthea Limberg while in transit back from Davos.
He says: “I was in London. I was sent a very brief message from Mayor [Geordin] Hill-Lewis that the Hawks had undertaken a raid at Smith and Limberg’s offices yesterday.
“He informed me he has asked for a full briefing from the SAPS on the nature of the raid and the investigation.
“Once he has received that, he will be able to brief me fully and he will be able to make a definitive statement going forward.”
Steenhuisen, however, said in instances of wrongdoing involving DA public representatives have been raised, the party moved in all cases to suspend, and in many cases removed the affected public representatives once matters reached the substantive phase and there was prima facie evidence of corruption.
He adds: “I want to assure you with this matter, once facts have emerged (and) once prima facie evidence is on the table, we will have a more determined way about how we proceed going forward.
“At the moment, it remains speculation, but it is a matter I am certainly watching closely and it’s a matter the party will deal with incredibly seriously and diligently as it has always done in cases of this matter,” he said.
There is now pressure on Hill-Lewis to suspend Smith and Limberg while the investigation is under way.
Smith has said he was tipped off about the raid, which he described as a smear campaign by some political actors that have mobilised a political “hit-squad” against him.