The National Council Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams has challenged Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to a public debate after he was accused of leaking information about the raids at the Civic Centre.
He explained that on Wednesday, he met with Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile to find out about the search which was conducted by the Commercial Crimes detectives in Safety and Security Mayoral committee member (Mayco) Alderman JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg’s offices.
The shocking raid left many opposition parties calling for his suspension on Friday.
A few days later, the Speaker announced that the council meeting would take place virtually instead of in-person.
Opposition parties announced that they would take the meeting to the Civic Centre.
They arrived before 10am on Thursday accompanied by their members, who chanted Struggle songs and called for the suspension of Smith and Limberg.
The councillors were barred from entering the building and there was a fight between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillors and the police.
They ended up using another entrance.
Inside the chambers, the opposition parties placed Smith and Limberg’s face cut-outs on the DA’s seats.
In a joint statement, parties the opposition said: “To voice our contempt for the DA’s inaction, as the opposition will be attending the first City Council meeting in council chambers even if their DA counterparts will not.
“However, we will not be logging on to the online session which we believe is just a farce to protect Smith and Limberg from public scrutiny. Virtual meetings were borne out of a Covid-19 necessity, the DA-led city is now hiding behind this option instead of facing the opposition, members of the media, and the public.
“As opposition parties, we are jointly united in our call for Smith and Limberg to step down or be suspended pending the outcomes of the investigation.”
Hill-Lewis left the meeting for a few minutes to address the media outside his office.
“The police made it clear that at this stage, it was an inquiry, that they are looking into the names mentioned in that so-called ledger book and that’s their job.
“There is simply nothing before me that gives me justification to remove Alderman Smith.
“I think that he is an essential part of this city’s success, and does an amazing job to lead our metro police and law enforcement to keep our city safer.
“Until that changes and I see something substantiated before me, that is my decision now.”
Hill-Lewis said in the case of former Mayco member for Human Settlements Malusi Booi, he received a detailed briefing about school fees paid and transactions at Louis Vuitton.
“Which have now come out. It was shocking to me, I put out a set of questions for explanation, and there wasn’t one. And based on that, I made a decision.”
On Friday, DA’s Federal Chairperson Helen Zille and Smith said they had been made aware of the raid sometime before the execution.
Adams went to open a case at the Cape Town Central police station against Zille for defeating the ends of justice.
Hill-Lewis accused Adams of being the main source who leaked the information about the search warrant.
“There’s been a lot of chatter, the sideshow has been how it got out, and it’s quite hilarious how he is making an issue of how the word got out. When the word got out, he was the source, he is the secret source.
“I printed out hundreds of posts that were made before the raids. I gave them all to SAPS and said clearly they have a big leak and they need to figure out how that is happening.
“They have assured me that they will investigate.”
Adams called the mayor a liar.
“The mayor is a consistent liar, I’m not sure if his name is Helen Zille or Geordin Hill-Lewis.
“Before he blames me, I would ask for proper proof. I would say to him that you have failed in your responsibility to the citizens of Cape Town to suspend JP Smith like you suspended Malusi Booi and Zahid Badroodien. He has protected the white man and wants to throw the coloured boy under the bus, again.
“I will not be that coloured boy. I am not a garden boy. I challenge the mayor to a live debate, you bring your proof and I bring mine, if indeed the white man with superior education has nothing to hide, he will face the coloured school-leaver. I intimidate the mayor.”