DA Cape Town mayoral committee member JP Smith recently said a police raid on his office was the work of a 'political hit squad'. This term has been used before in DA-ANC spats and exposes the underbelly of the city's political-policing arenas.

Accusations of spying and character assassination plots have been exchanged between the DA and the ANC in Cape Town for years. Beneath this are unsettling realities - that either the spying and smear campaign accusations are true, or that they are false and those peddling them are lying. Either way, these scenarios are worrying and distract from where focus should be - delivering services to residents.

But now smear campaign claims are back.

There has been recurring friction between the City of Cape Town and the South African Police Service (SAPS), mainly because the DA runs the city, whereas the national police is widely viewed as an ANC remit.

On 24 January, police raided the offices of the DA's Cape Town mayoral committee members, Xanthea Limberg and JP Smith. Limberg leads the energy portfolio and Smith heads safety and security.

It is understood that the raid was linked to an investigation involving tenders worth about R1-billion, into suspects including the City of Cape Town's former human settlements mayoral committee member, Malusi Booi.

Booi was arrested in 2024 and faces accusations that he allegedly accepted gratifications from 28s gang...