“He must put his money where his mouth is. R5million in a lawyer's trust account, and I will show him proof.”
That's the challenge from DA ward candidate Bradley Singh to KZN ActionSA leader, Zwakele Mncwango who has called into question his claim of owning property in Umhlanga, north of Durban.
The war of words comes amid a highly contested by-election in ward 35 in Umhlanga next month. The ward is an affluent suburb which includes businesses, hotels and residents, making it a high rates generator for eThekwini Municipality.
Singh has been accused by several residents, and Mncwango, of contesting in an area he does not reside in.
"I live in Phoenix but I own two properties in Umhlanga. I don't feel I need to show my title deeds to anyone," Singh told IOL amid the furore.
Mncwango hit back calling him a liar, saying he did not believe he owned any property in the area. This then escalated to a challenge from Singh asking Mncwango to put down R5 million before he proves his ownership.
Singh is facing off against ActionSA's Saul Basckin, a known resident in the Umhlanga ward. And on a more serious note, fired back at Singh over his candidacy.
“I'm not going to get to Bradley's level of mudslinging and personal insults, people must do their own research on him,” Basckin told IOL. “I can only speak for myself. I only decided to stand in this area as a candidate after hearing Bradley was contesting and there was no way I was going to allow that. We are major rate payers to eThekwini Municipality, contributing more than any other ward so this is an important area. I want to fix things and I have business and community experience to do that.”
Singh is a previous Minority Front party member and boasts a history of service to the Phoenix community.
"In 2016 all the parties together couldn't equate to even 50% of the support I received. Me, I'm a community person. Their candidate does not even have a Facebook page while I am active and responsive all the time," Singh said.
Basckin describes himself as 'Mr Fix It' saying he understands business and community, having been involved at a senior level with more than 32 hotels nationally.
"I'm not a Mickey Mouse operator. I understand service delivery and what is needed. We need to bring back tourism and serve the community in this ward," he said.
IOL