ANC saves De Lille
Cape Town drought crisis crux of matter
Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille continued to hang on to her job by a thread yesterday as the infighting within the DA in the Western Cape got uglier.
In a bizarre twist, the ANC in the Cape Town council abruptly withdrew its motion of no confidence against the embattled mayor and accused the DA of “hijacking” its motion and using De Lille as a “a sacrificial lamb”.
This after the DA had, in an unprecedented move, indicated it would support the ANC’s motion of no confidence against De Lille. The ANC, however, said the poor handling of the drought crisis in the province should be blamed on the entire DA, not just De Lille.
DA Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said while the ANC initially claimed its motion was brought on by numerous allegations of maladministration against De Lille, “they have demonstrated today that they would much rather engage in petty party politics than do what is best for the people of Cape Town”.
He said De Lille had also mismanaged the drought crisis in the city.
Madikizela said the DA had now tabled its own motion of no confidence against De Lille, which should be debated within 10 days of its submission to the speaker of council.
De Lille said the federal executive (FedEx) had earlier last month resolved that it would not support a motion of no confidence in her until the conclusion of the investigations by the federal legal commission and the City of Cape Town into allegations made against her.
The mayor was hauled before the party’s federal disciplinary committee on charges of maladministration and ignoring misconduct and tender irregularities. She was, however, allowed to remain in her position as mayor, pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
“I have received no notification from the FedEx about a change in their decision from being opposed to a motion of no confidence to now supporting it. It is unclear why the party has reneged on their previous position…”
Stellenbosch University political analyst Amanda Gouws said the De Lille matter could have been handled better, especially considering the water crisis in the city.