Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille celebrates her victory against the DA after the judge ruled in favour of her at the Western Cape High Court.
DA ordered to reinstate her membership of the party
Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille yesterday scored a huge court victory which overturned her rescinded membership of the DA, effectively ordering the party to welcome her back into the fold.
The defiant mayor had challenged the termination of her party membership in court after the DA expelled her following an interview with talk radio 702 host Eusebius McKaiser in which she declared her intention to leave the party after clearing her name.
At the time the relationship between DA and De Lille was already rocky as the party was seeking to remove her as mayor.
Speaking to the Sowetan yesterday, De Lille said the opposition party had no leg to stand on by stripping her of her membership.
“I’m very happy and vindicated today because the full bench of three learned judges have considered all the evidence before them and came to the conclusion that the DA did not follow their own constitution and procedures, and that has been my fight all along,” she said.
Judge Andre le Grange, on behalf of a full bench in the Cape Town High Court, set aside with costs the DA’s “unlawful” decision to terminate De Lille’s membership. The court found that the party’s determination that she ceased to be a member was unlawful.
Sounding jovial over the phone, De Lille said had the party followed proper internal avenues, the court battle would not have been necessary.
The DA has indicated intention to appeal, second deputy federal council chairwoman and MP Natasha Mazzone revealed yesterday.