Supporters of expelled DA MP Tsepo Mhlongo are seething after he was shown the door and allegedly denied an appeal, even though he served the country’s second-largest political party for more than 25 years.
The politician hailing from Orlando East in Soweto was the DA’s spokesperson for sports and is known for butting heads with Safa president Danny Jordaan and former sport, arts, and culture minister Fikile Mbalula, now the governing ANC’s secretary general.
The DA expelled Mhlongo on Friday, together with three other black leaders, namely, Nqaba Bhanga (former Eastern Cape party leader), Grantham Steenkamp (Northen Cape MPL), and Joburg councillor Kabelo Thobejane.
Speaking to Sunday World yesterday, Mhlongo’s close allies said the termination of his DA membership left him with a huge hole in his heart as he had committed his whole life to the party’s values and vision.
After his expulsion, the party allegedly made it clear to him he was not going to be allowed to appeal the matter.
“The termination of his membership has left him disheartened, especially considering the values that the Democratic Alliance has always championed, which are fairness and justice,” said a source.
The source continued: “As you may be aware, his membership termination leaves him unable to appeal, a situation that seemingly contradicts the democratic principles he stands for. The truth, however, has a way of revealing itself in due time.”
Mhlongo was charged in 2021 with what was called “kitchen canvassing” in his Soweto constituency. “He was not involved in capturing data when we were campaigning for the 2021 local government elections. Activists were involved in the campaign to capture data, and we feel he was targeted because he was a leader in the Soweto East constituency.”
The insider said the activists involved wrongfully captured information on the system, and Mhlongo had to take accountability as a political head, even though he was not responsible for the mess.
Mhlongo alleged his long-time political nemesis in the DA, Manny de Freitas, engineered his downfall.
“Manny is the problem that caused all this mess, and he worked with others to get at me.
“I initiated a case against Manny in 2021, alleging corruption. The party ruled all political heads must close bank accounts, but Manny didn’t close the bank account, and I reported that a crucial step towards transparency was not universally embraced. It pains me to witness the protection of those in leadership, hindering justice.”
He said his commitment to accountability led him to question the actions of the party regarding the status of his case.
“I raised my concerns with Helen Zille about interference with parliamentary processes, including the handling of cases like mine. The response, unfortunately, was my termination.”
“Helen Zille interrupted my final statement to our caucus and instructed parliamentary staff to attribute it to Solly,” he said, referring to DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi.
His backers said the incident emphasised the sad reality that not all animals are equal in the DA, reminiscent of the power dynamics in Animal Farm.
Mhlongo said he would not be joining any political party anytime soon. “I’m still a member, and I’m following the internal process of appeal and will comment and once I receive an official letter from the party for termination of my membership, I’ll review it.”
De Freitas said: “I’m not sure what he’s talking about; he went through a Federal Legal Committee (FLC) process. I’m not a member of the FLC, so I’m not sure why he says that.”
