Zille in key 'spy' role, says Rasool

By Lindsay Dentlinger

Premier Ebrahim Rasool alleges that Mayor Helen Zille may have had a bigger role than she has asserted in the city's dealings with the private investigators hired to probe councillor Badih Chaaban.

This is among charges levelled by Rasool in an affidavit he submitted to the High Court on Wednesday, in response to the city's application last month to have the Erasmus Commission declared invalid.

Rasool alleged Zille had "regular Monday morning meetings" with operatives of the investigating firm, George Fivaz and Associates.

Rasool alleged Zille had "regular Monday morning meetings" with operatives of the investigating firm

The meetings had also been attended by DA members who are not city council office-bearers.

He charged that her telephone records pointed to "personal contacts" with the investigations firm.



This morning Zille dismissed Rasool's allegations as "lies" that were "very easy to refute".

The inquiry was initially established by Rasool to probe allegations of spying by the DA-led ruling group in the City of Cape Town.

It was later reconstituted to extend the mandate of Judge Nathan Erasmus to investigate alleged maladministration in the George municipality, also run by the DA, and the activities of Chaaban.

Zille dismissed Rasool's allegations as "lies" that were "very easy to refute"

Rasool said in the affidavit that information provided by the first inquiry indicated that the original allegations of illicit spying were justified, and that the need for investigation did not end there.

"In considering the evidence, the penny finally dropped that despite her remonstrations to the contrary, the mayor may not have been removed from the process of appointing GFA.

"Her earlier denials of any personal involvement in this matter were thus false," said Rasool.

The alleged involvement of DA members from outside the council indicated that the George Fivaz investigations were not confined to matters of interest to the council.

"It would also be unlikely that the mayor would have been unaware hereof," Rasool submitted.

Hitting back on Thursday, Zille said that her diary, which was meticulously archived and accessible to the media, would reflect that Rasool's claims had no basis.

She also made her phone records available for media scrutiny, saying they would refute Rasool's charge that she had had regular contact with the city's investigators.

"Rasool is once again proving the point I have made about the commission. Its purpose is to provide a platform for the ANC and its allies to distribute lies, innuendos and smears.

"This disinformation is given an aura of respectability because the commission is chaired by a judge. It is purely a political hit squad and Rasool's affidavit once more proves this point.

"It is pure disinformation and falsehoods intended to create a cloud of suspicion and mistrust about me and the DA without a foundation in the facts," she said.

Zille accused Rasool of "lying" and "hedging his claims" by using words such as "may" in his statements, so that he could retract them later.

She acknowledged to the Cape Argus that she had had one phone conversation, last September, with the Western Cape head of the investigators, Niel van Heerden.

The purpose of this call was to ask why Philip du Toit, contracted by George Fivaz, had been arrested.

She also recalled a meeting with the investigators, saying they had been brought to her office by DA provincial leader Theuns Botha after a meeting Botha had had with Chaaban.

"I have said this from the outset: there is nothing wrong with any of this, and to create a cloud of suspicion around it is both devious and dishonest. But that is Rasool's purpose."

Rasool cited statements by Zille that intelligence sources had told her the ANC had inserted agents provocateurs in an anti-drugs march in Mitchells Plain late last year.

He alleged this indicated that Zille had been dependent on non-state operatives feeding her this information.

He had followed up her claim and was satisfied that Zille's information had not come from any state intelligence source.

Rasool said it was clear that the recording of telephone calls and conversations by George Fivaz and Associates was not limited to the city.

The premier said that once Du Toit had been revealed as the man behind the recordings, "many other facets fell into place", which indicated "widespread use of surveillance by non-state actors throughout the Western Cape".

In his affidavit, Rasool repeatedly refers to the Erasmus Commission as a "fact-finding" mission.

Offering reasons for establishing the commission, Rasool said these were: