KZN DA leader fights back against claims of xenophobia against his deputy

Democratic Alliance KwaZulu-Natal leader Zwakele Mncwango has come out firing in support of his deputy‚ who was on Wednesday morning the subject of crimen injuria charges opened by the ANC.

DA KZN deputy leader - and National Council of Provinces MP - Mergen Chetty was charged over comments he allegedly made in a recorded phone call with a former party member. He is heard using the word "makwerekwere"‚ a derogatory phrase usually aimed at foreign nationals‚ particularly from African countries.

“I called you because I wanted to thank you for the posting and greeting…its good…there is life after politics. We cannot become like f**king makwerekwere and fight over our f**king stupid things‚” he says in the recording‚ which has been widely circulated on social media.

The charges were opened at the Mountain Rise Police Station in Pietermaritzburg.

• SEE MORE: WATCH: ANC lays charges against ‘xenophobic’ DA deputy KZN leaderThe ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has laid charges of crimen injuria against provincial DA deputy leader Mergan Chetty after he was allegedly caught on tape using the term “makwerekwere”‚ a derogatory word used against foreigners of African origin.

Mncwango‚ who brushed this aside the opening of the case by saying the ANC was within their legal rights to open it‚ accused the ANC of distorting the recording in order to score political points ahead of a tense by-election in the provincial capital.

“We live in a constitutional democracy and the ANC is within their rights to open a case if they believe Mergan has said something wrong. No one is above the law even the president of this country. We must however not lose sight that this is politics‚ and the ANC is politicking on this‚” said Mncwango.

He said he called Chetty who explained the conversation happened but that it was a pleasant one and never meant for public consumption.

Mncwango also called Sikhakhane who confirmed the same.

He said he asked him why he had shared the recording to which Sikhakhane said it was only meant for his friends to prove that he still got along with Chetty.

“But then one of his friends decided to make a meal out of it and to make it a political issue. I mean this happened four weeks ago why does it surface now. Is it because we are contesting a by-election in Pietermaritzburg?” asked Mcnwango.

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE