Report implicates De Lille, says DA
Patricia de Lille’s nemesis in the DA‚ federal council deputy chair Natasha Mazzone‚ says that a forensic report “paints a grim picture” of the Cape Town mayor’s conduct.
Responding to media inquiries about the report to be tabled at a city council meeting on Thursday‚ Mazzone said it “points to continuous interference and misconduct by Patricia de Lille”.
A 2‚000-page report compiled by law firm Bowmans recommends the council consider laying criminal charges against De Lille‚ who will vacate the mayoral office on October 31.
The report‚ compiled by Bowmans director Randall van Voore‚ claims De Lille and former city manager Achmat Ebrahim broke the law when they failed to tell the council about irregular payments for bus chassis in 2015.
It also says the council is obliged to report suspected acts of corruption relating to a tender for electric buses and that the city should take disciplinary action against mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron and suspended transport and urban development authority commissioner Melissa Whitehead for their alleged misconduct in the tender process.
Mazzone‚ who has been at the forefront of the DA’s longrunning battle with the Cape Town mayor‚ said: “We‚ as the DA‚ have always maintained that this wholly independent investigation should be allowed to run its course so the full extent of the governance breakdown in Cape Town under De Lille could be fully investigated.
“We await and respect the outcome of Thursday’s council meeting where the results of this independent investigation are tabled,” she said.
In a letter to city manager Lungelo Mbandazayo a week ago‚ Van Voore said he was asked to lead the probe centred on the city transport authority on March 1‚ with 30 days to complete his work. However‚ De Lille could not meet him until March 27‚ and the following day he sent her documents requiring her response. He wrote to her again in April‚ May and June requesting her response‚ and eventually received a “preliminary” response from De Lille’s lawyer‚ John Riley‚ on July 27.
Van Voore then wrote to De Lille on September 27 giving her a deadline of October 5‚“failing which I [will] finalise the report”.
On October 3‚ Riley wrote to him saying De Lille had no further submissions. De Lille has said she will release a statement after studying the report and consulting her lawyers.