DA, De Lille are at it again
FORENSIC REPORT: RECOMMENDS ACTION BE TAKEN
The party tables a report tomorrow which it claims paints a grim picture of her actions.
DA tables report tomorrow which it claims paints a grim picture of De Lille’s actions.
Aforensic report paints a grim picture of Patricia de Lille’s term as mayor of Cape Town and points to misconduct on her part, the Democratic Alliance said yesterday.
Natasha Mazzone, the deputy chairperson of the DA’s federal executive, said the report would be tabled at a meeting of the city council tomorrow and asked De Lille not to pre-empt the matter.
Media reports have said the report recommends that disciplinary action be taken against the former mayor.
She will step down at the end of the month after a bruising yearlong battle with the party over allegations of corruption within the council.
Mazzone said it should be noted that there were two reports on strife within the city council, and that both “by all accounts point to continuous interference and misconduct by Patricia de Lille.
“The second more substantive report, which by all accounts includes 2 000 pages of detailed evidence, based on interviews, legal submissions and other inputs, paints a grim picture of Patricia de Lille’s conduct as mayor.”
Mazzone said the party would await tomorrow’s meeting to deal with the report.
“We hope that Ms de Lille and her associates do not seek to confuse the public any further on this matter.”
De Lille said she would comment on the findings once she has taken legal advice.
“I will release a statement after I have studied the report and consulted my lawyers.”
The DA appointed prominent law firm Bowmans last year to probe alleged maladministration and misconduct in the council after whistleblowers pointed to tender irregularities in the powerful Transport and Development Authority.
The probe resulted in disciplinary charges against former transport commissioner Melissa Whitehead.
City manager Achmat Ebrahim quit in January amid moves to suspend him for allegedly not reporting corruption to the council.
According to media reports, Bowmans’ investigators recommended that both the mayor and the former manager face charges.
It’s claimed that they failed to bring information about irregularities in the procurement of electronic buses and the tender process for the stalled Foreshore Freeway Precinct to the council’s attention.
De Lille agreed to step down after negotiations with DA leader Mmusi Maimane in July.
At the time, she claimed that her name had been cleared of any wrongdoing. – ANA
Findings point to misconduct by her