{
  "id": 13739895,
  "title": "R30K to switch sides: DA denies PA bribery claims in George",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/r30k-to-switch-sides-da-denies-pa-bribery-claims-in-george",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-11T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/capeargus/news/2026-10-11-r30k-to-switch-sides-da-denies-pa-bribery-claims-in-george/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A candidate from the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in George has accused two men of offering him R30,000 to abandon his party and join the Democratic Alliance (DA) ahead of the 2026 local government elections. John Buys made the allegations in a written affidavit, which was stamped by George police and later shared on Facebook by PA Western Cape deputy provincial chairperson Ashley Sauls. PA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers has denied these claims, stating that the DA's George constituency leadership disputes the allegations. Simmers called for anyone making such allegations to provide evidence so that the matter can be properly investigated. DA leader Tertuis Simmers emphasized the importance of political accountability based on verifiable facts.",
  "summary": "A George PA ward-councillor candidate alleges that two men offered him R30 000 to withdraw from the 2026 local government race and join the DA. The DA denies the allegation and has called for evidence.",
  "key_points": [
    "Patriotic Alliance candidate accuses two men of offering R30,000 to switch parties.",
    "Democratic Alliance denies bribery claims, calls for evidence.",
    "Tertuis Simmers emphasizes political accountability based on facts."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}