The leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), Gayton McKenzie, says the party will not discard three members embroiled in “personal family issues”.

Cheslyn Daniels, the PA’s mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections, was arrested, together with his wife, Devenay, on Saturday after the party’s Women’s Day celebrations in Belhar.

Protection orders

Both appeared before the Bellville Magistrate’s Court; Cheslyn faces charges relating to the alleged contravention of a protection order and common assault, while his wife faces a charge of common assault.

Things allegedly turned sour after the event when Cheslyn’s son from a previous marriage wanted to leave with him, despite having arrived with his mother. The ex-couple had protection orders against each other, which sparked the arrest. Cheslyn was released on R1 000 bail, while his pregnant wife was released on R500.

Not discarded

In his statement, McKenzie said: “Cheslyn Daniels will not be discarded by the Patriotic Alliance; we stand fully by all three of them. We are merely giving them space to sort out these personal family issues, which have been lingering for more than a year. We are doing that for the purposes of peace in his family; we will encourage professional help for all. We are family in the PA, and during your darkest hour, we always show up as PA. The whole family is in our prayers.”

According to an insider, the statement means the three involved will be placed on special leave from PA duties.

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