Ex-DA member backs 'credible' Dion George in bitter public spat with DA
Dr Dion George, the former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, resigned from the DA.
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A FORMER DA member has thrown his weight behind party veteran Dion George, saying how the organisation treated him had the hallmarks of a smear campaign.
George announced his immediate resignation from the DA and his seat in Parliament on January 15, describing his situation in the party as “intolerable”, stating that he was being “pushed out”.
His departure follows several months of internal conflict in the DA’s leadership and a report by the party's Federal Legal Commission (FLC) that cleared the party’s leader, John Steenhuisen, of allegations regarding the misappropriation of party funds.
He also labelled the report a “whitewash”.
A former DA member, who worked closely with George during his tenure as the provincial finance chairperson for Gauteng, said this is the definition of how “smear campaigns” work, adding that he doesn’t believe the allegations, as George is a man of integrity.
The source also described George as an honest and truthful leader who is credible and ethical.
“A series of rumours has been put out to different media outlets in such a way that it doesn’t appear to have fingerprints of the DA’s leadership, and this is a definition of how a smear campaign works. This took place even before his resignation,” he said.
DA spokesperson, Jan de Villiers, insisted that George avoided responding to the FLC.
“I refer to our media statement, the DA was not afforded the opportunity by Dr George to conclude its FLC disciplinary procedure against him, and therefore no final finding against him could or has been made, as he quit the party before the internal FLC process could be completed,” he said.
However, another source claimed that from the working relationship he had with George, he doubted that the allegations levelled against him could be true.
The insider also claimed that this is a “smear campaign” to discredit George because he is seen as a threat, particularly because he questioned some of the party's decisions.
Cape Times