Faux Passas and rent-a-crowd protesters in anti-Pappas march

The DA's KZN premier candidate, Chris Pappas, took the mickey out of the ANC Youth League in the uMngeni municipality on Thursday when some demonstrators held up posters calling for his arrest — but spelt his name incorrectly.

Pappas took to social media with photographs of the 200-odd youth league members, with some holding posters calling for his arrest or resignation.

“Please help find Passas. ANCYL is looking for him in uMngeni,” he tweeted.

The under-fire politician has been given seven days by the ANCYL to respond to the accusations levelled by the youth group, some members of which marched to the municipality’s Somme Street on Thursday.

The protest came after a former DA provincial office-bearer, Sizwe Mchunu, now with the ANC, wrote to the public protector alleging that Pappas had misappropriated funds by granting his former fiancé, Jean Pierre Prinsloo, more than R100,000 to fund a tourism nonprofit organisation.

Pappas has denied the accusations.

The league's deputy president, Phumzile Mgcina, said they wanted to rid the municipality of corruption.

“We have heard some people saying they would not listen to people who do not reside in this municipality. Yes, we don’t live here but we want to support the plight of comrades who live in uMngeni. We are not going to keep quiet when our people are being abused and also do not receive help” said Mgcina.

“Money should go to the people. We are sick and tired of people who claim to be of assistance to the people but instead are swindling much-needed monies from them. You can’t have a so-called NPO which derives benefit from the municipality,” said Mgcina.

They also alleged to have been made aware of bank statements which detail the amount of monies which the NPO had sourced from the municipality.

She said they would soon open a criminal case with the police.

Mgcina said the allegations would go a long way in demystifying the myth that the ANC is corrupt.

The march temporarily brought the Midlands town to a standstill as about 200 supporters chanted struggle songs and carried anti-Pappas placards.

The memorandum was signed and accepted by Cogta representative Madoda Khathide and speaker of the municipality Janis Holmes.

Tempers flared as boisterous ANC supporters demanded that the private security personnel take a step back as there were members of the public police present.

 uMngeni is the sole KNZ municipality governed by the DA after it dislodged the ANC from power in the November 2021 local government elections. Since taking over the municipality, the party has made gains in its turnaround strategy by cleaning up its accounts and improving its audit outcomes.

The youth league said they had plans to stage similar protests across different municipalities, including those in the stranglehold of the IFP.

In memorandum read by the protest convener, Mqondisi Duma called upon Holmes and co-operative and traditional affairs MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi to intervene urgently.

“We demand an immediate resignation of Pappas. We are calling for a transparent investigation,” said Duma. “We call for a comprehensive audit of all the municipality’s contracts and tenders. We demand a full transparency and funding and financial transactions in uMngeni tourism organisation. The R100,000 that Pappas gave his boyfriend should be given back,” said Duma.

Local business owner Judy Smith, who runs a crafts and curio business at Howick Falls, said the protest didn’t affect business.

She said while protests were not new to uMngeni she had heeded the advice to delay the opening of her shop.

“We are happy that the mayor handled this well by allaying our fears. We were all safe from early in the morning. The security was visible,” said Smith.

Cogota said they would respond within seven days.

Most of the protesters were bused into the town, with few residents of local townships marching.

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