ActionSA suspends Tshwane candidate Malesela Teffo after contempt arrest

ActionSA has placed its Tshwane ward candidate Malesela Teffo on precautionary suspension after his arrest on a contempt of court matter, and the party says he may not campaign, represent it or present himself as acting for it while the suspension stands.

The arrest happened on September 15. Teffo is standing for ActionSA in Tshwane in the local government elections set for November 4.

As IOL reported on September 17, the suspension follows an internal disciplinary process that was already under way before the arrest. ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni said the party’s Provincial Ethics and Disciplinary Officer, known in the party as PEDO, had found a basis to take the matter further.

“After considering the matter, PEDO found that there was a prima facie basis for the disciplinary process to continue,” Ngobeni said.

What the party says the suspension means

The disciplinary process began over Teffo’s conduct after he appeared at the Johannesburg High Court wearing ActionSA regalia. ActionSA’s Tshwane structures asked him to account for what had happened, and the matter was referred to PEDO.

Ngobeni said the arrest was then considered by the ActionSA Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee, which took advice from PEDO before deciding to suspend him.

“We want to be clear about what this means. The suspension is not a finding of guilt. Mr Teffo will have an opportunity to respond to the matters before PEDO, and the process must be allowed to run fairly,” he said.

While suspended, Teffo cannot take part in ActionSA campaign or party activities, cannot represent or speak for the party, and cannot hold himself out as acting for it. Ngobeni said the suspension relates to his participation and status within the party while the disciplinary process continues.

Why a candidate’s status matters before November 4

South Africa’s local government elections are run by the Independent Electoral Commission, and the candidates on the ballot are put forward by registered parties or stand as independents. A party that suspends one of its own candidates is making a decision about its internal affairs, not about the ballot itself, and the suspension does not by itself remove a name from a party list or a ward contest.

That distinction is the one voters in Tshwane will notice. A candidate who cannot campaign, cannot appear at party events and cannot speak for the party is, in practice, off the campaign trail in the weeks that decide a ward. The party has not said what it will do about his candidacy if the disciplinary process runs past the election date.

ActionSA has instructed PEDO to deal with the matter urgently and report back to the provincial executive committee.

Ngobeni said the party expects its candidates and public representatives to account when serious questions are raised about their conduct, and warned against deciding the outcome through public commentary.

“ActionSA expects its candidates and public representatives to account when serious questions are raised about their conduct. At the same time, we will not replace a proper disciplinary process with a trial through the media,” he said.

“We will communicate further once the disciplinary process has reached the appropriate stage.”

The party has not released the grounds on which the contempt matter against Teffo rests, and the court record on that matter has not been set out publicly by ActionSA or by the courts in the material available.

What happens next sits with PEDO, which has been told to report back to the Gauteng provincial executive committee. The committee will then decide whether the disciplinary process proceeds to a finding, and the party has said it will communicate once that stage is reached.

Source: IOL, ActionSA suspends Tshwane ward candidate Malesela Teffo after arrest