Bunfight over MEC's birthday cake claims another scalp

An investigation into a lavish birthday party for the DA’s Western Cape leader has claimed another victim.

Lennit Max‚ who chaired the provincial legislature conduct committee probing housing MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela’s party‚ quit his post shortly after the registrar of members’ interests at the legislature‚ Romeo Maasdorp‚ also resigned.

Maasdorp was in charge of the Madikizela probe because the case involves his alleged failure to declare that a contractor who does business with his department paid for a R3‚000 birthday cake.

Max’s resignation follows a clash with DA chief whip Mark Wiley during the first sitting of the committee‚ when Maasdorp recommended an investigation into the MEC’s failure to declare the cake.

Madikizela has maintained the birthday party at the One&Only in Cape Town was a surprise‚ and as a result he did not know who contributed to it until the media started asking questions.

Max‚ who is so far the only DA member preparing to challenge Madikizela for the provincial leadership later this year‚ declined to confirm his resignation. But Wiley confirmed it.

“I am not prepared to discuss the detail of it‚” said Wiley. “The media itself has speculated on the conflict of interest issue‚ so you must draw your own conclusions.”

He would not speculate about whether it was linked to the public disagreement he had with Max over the Madikizela probe. “We had a difference of interpretation and that was resolved‚” he said.

ANC chief whip Pierre Uys slammed the DA over Maasdorp’s resignation‚ saying it had not officially informed opposition parties about the matter.