Power play linked to race for premiership of Western Cape in 2019 and broader fight between DA loyalists and former ID remnants, say Natasha Marrian and Bekezela Phakathi
CAPE Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s surprise resignation as DA Western Cape leader on Sunday came after a bruising fight with party heavyweights including Western Cape Premier Helen Zille.
It was a battle in which De Lille was forced to back down on a key appointment to her mayoral executive committee.
The factional power play was linked to a succession race in the DA for the premiership of the province in 2019 and a broader fight between DA loyalists and remnants of the former Independent Democrats (ID).
The two parties completed their ground-breaking merger in 2010 in what was then seen as a coup for Zille, who had gained a high-profile leader in De Lille.
The ID was dissolved and swallowed up by the DA in 2014.
But De Lille on Monday dismissed succession talk and speculation that she was bruised after the alleged “micro-management” by “Wale Street [the premier’s office]”.
Instead, she said those peddling such stories were opposed to her pro-poor and transformative agenda that she has introduced in the city.
“I got an overwhelming majority of twothirds majority, now when you receive a two-thirds majority, the last thing you do is be arrogant with power, but you can’t also become complacent.
“I became very anxious over the past four months that the responsibility of the two-thirds majority weighed heavily … it’s a first in government for me, the first in the DA … so I said this is a tremendous responsibility,” De Lille said.
She said she had consulted DA leader Mmusi Maimane and he had agreed with her move, so the “speculation” was just that.
The conflict in a federal executive meeting two weeks ago centred on the removal of controversial councillor JP Smith, with whom De Lille had frequently clashed, from the safety and security mayoral committee portfolio.
While De Lille argued this was a result of her recent restructuring of the mayoral executive committee that resulted in Smith’s portfolio being amalgamated with others, her detractors believe that she had been gunning for Smith for some time.
While Smith was reinstated to his old position of safety and security, De Lille wanted to move him out of that post and make him a “mini mayor” as part of her restructuring process.
According to sources, De Lille’s alleged “defiance” angered some DA leaders – after the appointment of a former ANC councillor, Loyiso Nkohla.
By stepping down, De Lille also appears to be signalling that she will not be available to contest the premiership of the Western Cape in 2019, when Zille completes her second term, clearing the way for candidates who are close to Zille, such as provincial executive members Bonginkosi Madikizela and Debbie Schafer.
The conflict between De Lille and Zille is at the heart of the official opposition party’s factional politics.
While De Lille has tended to appoint people to whom she was previously close, this has annoyed the “old guard” in the province, which includes Zille and Smith.
In her resignation letter addressed to Maimane, De Lille said she wanted to focus on her role as Cape Town mayor and on implementing the city’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan.
Her resignation will be effective from February 1.
“Taking Cape Town to the next level of government is an exciting prospect, but one that will take all of my time. As we position the party to be the next national government, I believe that those of us in government and other spheres have a duty to build the party’s experience in, and capacity for, public management in preparation for effective custodianship of the state.”
De Lille said she believed she had achieved her goals as provincial leader, including improving the party’s performance in the 2016 local government elections.
De Lille was elected provincial leader in April 2015 after defeating former Western Cape police commissioner and community safety MEC Lennit Max. The Western Cape is the DA’s power base and the only province the party controls.
On Monday, the ANC in the Western Cape was quick to react to what it termed a “crisis” in the DA.
“The resignation of De Lille today as the DA’s provincial leader is the tipping point of DA’s contradictions that have played out since Helen Zille took over as the leader of the party and premier of the province,” ANC Western Cape acting chairman Khaya Magaxa said.
Natasha Marrian and Bekezela Phakathi write for Business Day. With Carol Paton