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The leadership of the Independent Democrats has admitted using a fleet of taxis owned by notorious Cape Town crime boss Quinton "Mr Big" Marinus during last year's election.
In the latest episode of the public slanging saga between ID leader Patricia de Lille and Lennit Max, suspended former provincial leader, Max on Tuesday approached the Cape High Court in a last-minute attempt to put off a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
In a supporting affidavit, Max outlined events which he said appeared to be "serious improprieties" by the party's leadership. He also complained that he was given insufficient time to prepare for his hearing. The court postponed the matter until January 27.
 
Max, also a former provincial police commissioner, was suspended in late December for laying "false" fraud charges against the party's leadership and irregularly dismissing some party employees. At the time, De Lille also accused him of using "old apartheid contacts" to launch a probe against her.
She said Max had allegedly told police that she and party secretary-general Avril Harding were responsible for about R400 000 worth of missing funds meant for the party's coffers. Both De Lille and Harding have denied the claims.
In his supporting affidavit on Tuesday, Max argued that his suspension was called for "solely to retaliate" against him for prompting the police investigation against De Lille.
He also accused De Lille and Harding of collecting a "packet" of cash from a "smokkelhuis" owned by Marinus a day before last year's election.
"Although I do not know what has become of the cash, I came to the conclusion that there was at least prima facie evidence of illegal activities in which De Lille and Harding might be implicated, or of which they might have been aware," he said in the affidavit.
He also admitted to taping a discussion between himself and former party employee Shaun August who allegedly told Max that he had driven De Lille and Harding to Marinus's shebeen in Belhar on April 13 and that cash had been picked up.
In addition, Max fingered former ID employee Rodney Lentit as saying Harding and De Lille had collected R300 000 from "daai mense van die taxis"; people later identified by Max as the Marinus family.
De Lille said on Tuesday night the party had in its possession an affidavit from Lentit disputing Max's claims.
Harding said both he and De Lille had visited the building referred to by Max on April 13 but that it was to see Al Etto, a Cape Town recording artist whose studio was on the premises. He said Etto, a personal friend of De Lille's, had written a jingle for the party and that the two had gone to pick it up.
"While we were there, Etto offered to set up a meeting with Mr Marinus so Patricia and I met with him and asked him to give us 15 taxis to use on election day."
"When we met him we didn't know who he was," he said.
Harding added that Marinus had agreed to supply the taxis and that he was already "on public record" saying that he was an ID supporter.
Harding said Max's disciplinary hearing was expected to go ahead on February 1.
Cape High Court judge Abe Motala's order to postpone the matter to January 27, in effect also postpones Max's disciplinary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
In his internal disciplinary hearing, Max will face six charges of misconduct and bringing the party into disrepute.
Asked if she was concerned about possible negative public fallout in the run-up to the party's provincial congress, already postponed once and scheduled for January 22, De Lille said the court case had no impact on the congress.
There has been an ongoing war of words between Max and other ID leaders, culminating in disciplinary proceedings being instituted on January 5.
Max faces charges, such as recording telephone conversation between himself and a party member, Shaun August. Other charges included allegedly drawing a party cheque from the party constituency allowances to pay for his accommodation while doing constituency work in the Western Cape. - Political Bureau.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on January 12, 2005
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