Reporter should have asked for my comment

WITH regards to the article published in yesterday’s Cape Argus: “Fear as invaders prevented from marking plots”, the reporter publishes a serious allegation against me and a City official.

The reporter did not reach out to my office for comment on the accuracy of a damning and false allegation by the ward councillor Lubabalo Makeleni quoted as saying, “Patricia de Lille and Loyiso Nkohla have misled our people by coming to this ward and gathered individuals to feed them with information, such as they must go to any piece of land and build shacks for themselves”.

This is rubbish and lies as I would never tell any community to invade land. In fact, I tell every community the complete opposite.

In a public meeting in Dunoon on May 26, I asked the residents to help protect the land.

I especially appealed to residents not to invade land because we need to put in the necessary infrastructure before people can take occupation of the houses.

Councillor Makeleni was present during that public meeting.

The City’s community liaison officer, Loyiso Nkohla, also appealed to residents not to occupy the land.

Had the reporter asked for comment, they would have been provided with an accurate account of what I communicated to the residents of Dunoon.

MAYOR PATRICIA DE LILLE Cape Town