De Lille’s fate to be decided Wednesday

MAYOR Patricia de Lille’s fate will be sealed on Wednesday when the DA’s political bosses in Cape Town meet to test confidence in the city’s longest-serving mayor.

“We will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss this issue. On Monday there is also a caucus meeting, but we have a full council meeting the next day (Tuesday), so that has been earmarked to discuss council governance matters,” said DA City caucus deputy leader JP Smith.

Western Cape DA leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said the City of Cape Town DA caucus was therefore permitted to hold an internal no-confidence motion on De Lille, who is their caucus leader. The reasons put forward include:

The fact that they previously tested their confidence in De Lille and found that a two-thirds majority of the caucus had lost faith in her ability to lead them. This was due, the caucus said, to her repeatedly breaching the Code of Conduct for Councillors as well as the constitution of the DA, relating to bringing the DA into disrepute and the breach of the conditions of her suspension.

That De Lille’s conduct in the public domain had amounted to frequent criticism of the DA and the DA’s management of her case, to the extent that it appeared that she did not consider herself part of the DA any longer, or at least considered herself more important than it and above the rules of the party.

Her recent comment “she is no longer co-operating with the DA” means she cannot effectively govern on a DA mandate. The party will use its recall clause, dubbed the De Lille-clause, to remove her.

If she fails to resign, she will lose her party membership.

Xolani Sotashe, the ANC’s Cape Town leader, said the ANC was completely behind the De Lille and would support her.

The EFF, who had previously supported De Lille in a no-confidence vote against her, said it would support her again.