REFILWE MEKOA
Free State DA leader Patricia Kopane’s father has dismissed nepotism media allegations.
James Letuka, Kopane’s father said he is not new in politics and he’s daughter is not the reason he got his new position. DA’s Roy Jankielsohn’s introduced Letuka on Wednesday as one of the party’s legislature members at a media briefing in Bloemfontein.
Letuka said he was part of the black consciousness movement during the establishment of the South African Student Organisation (SASO) alongside Steve Biko. He affirmed Jankielsohn’s statement that Jankielsohn approached him to join the party several years ago but he wasn’t ready.
Letuka said he submitted his application to be a parliamentary member last year after realising he could relate to DA’s policies.
“There is nowhere where Patricia was involved. She didn’t even know that I spoke to Roy about this matter. It was only last year that I had to take a political decision on the basis of the development within the country. The party’s procedures are very stringent and I had to go through that like everybody else. That involve having to go through two very serious interviews and between the two I also had to write an examination. It wasn’t easy at all but I managed,” he added.
Letuka stated that he initially applied for both national and provincial legislature and didn’t mind where the party would have allocated him. Kopane is not a member of the provincial legislature but serves as a shadow minister of health at national parliament.
