THE Democratic Alliance’s interim leader John Steenhuisen has hit back at former DA Gauteng leader John Moodey following his shock resignation from the party on Wednesday.
During a virtual media briefing on Thursday, Steenhuisen pointed out that Moodey’s resignation was an attempt to deflect attention from the real reasons for his resignation.
He said that the former Gauteng leader was facing the most serious case of misconduct relating to the framing of a political opponent in a sex for jobs scandal and attempting to bribe councillors into giving false evidence.
“It is very clear he sought to deflect attention from himself by defaming erstwhile colleagues, playing the race card and seeking to inflict as much damage on the party on his way to the door by spreading these mistruths and rumours,” Steenhuisen said.
“As a party of due process, the same rules apply to everyone.”
Steenhuisen said that initially, the party did not want these matters to be discussed publicly.
“We did not want this to go public, but we cannot allow a false set of circumstances to prevail. The charges are serious, and proceedings were set to be heard internally in the near future, but it looks like Moodey has chosen to leave so he can avoid disciplinary charges,” he added.
Moodey announced on Wednesday that he was resigning from the party after 22 years, saying that the DA was no longer the organisation that shared the same values as when he joined.
(COMPILED BY INSIDE POLITICS STAFF)
