‘Pro’ mayor DA councillors abused on F-Book
DA CITY councillors who voted to keep mayor Patricia de Lille in power have been criticised on a Facebook group supporting JP Smith – one of De Lille’s biggest detractors.
De Lille survived the no-confidence motion by one vote last Thursday when 109 councillors voted in favour of the motion at a special council meeting. Although the DA has 154 of the 231 council seats, votes against the motion totalled 110, meaning De Lille survived.
On the Facebook page “Hands off JP Smith” it was posted: “De Lille thanks opposition and ANC for saving her.
“Yet two weeks back ANC wanted to file their own motion against De Lille. Was it a trick to get DA to file the motion instead as the DA would be worried thinking that local councillors had lost their patience with the mayor and would vote with the ANC against De Lille?
“Were they forced into checkmate by the ANC, only to be set up for this? De Lille knows she is going, so why clutch on to her position? Can it be because her ultimate plan is nearly ready?”
On the same page, councillors who voted against the motion were named. Their ward details were also revealed.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety, security and social services, said he has no access to Facebook.
“So I don’t know what happens on social media. I have no control over that page and they have ignored requests I sent through other people to desist posting and to close the page,” he said.
The High Court ruled that the DA should give councillors the assurance that they will not be victimised and allay all fears of reprisals, irrespective of how they vote.
In leaked e-mails, a prominent councillor who did not want to be named said the 39 DA councillors who voted against the party sold their souls to the ANC.
“I am still trying to understand how members who purport to be loyal members of the DA could sell their party, City administration, souls and integrity and reputation to the ANC, who you have spoken against. All I say is what you did on Thursday was shocking.
“For the newer councillors, I can possibly understand, to the longer serving councillors who I cannot call colleagues, I say shame on you,” the councillor wrote.
“The 40 of you have single-handedly sold your colleagues, the majority of DA councillors, to the ANC. You all have short memories no matter what inducements you were offered, they will never be kept, speak to those who have trodden this lonely path before you,” he wrote.
James Selfe, chairperson of the DA federal executive, said in an e-mail to DA councillors that they should stop spreading untruths on the no-confidence motion.
“I have seen for myself several breaches of the party’s social media policy,” he wrote.
‘I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THAT PAGE AND THEY HAVE IGNORED REQUESTS I SENT’