De Lille expulsion reports ‘part of smear drive’
CAPE Town mayor Patricia de Lille and the DA chief whip in the metro, Shaun August, have denied claims that they have been handed notices to face a disciplinary hearing for allegedly having a hand in leaking confidential party documents to the media.
The two, and the former policy and strategy researcher in De Lille’s office, Josh Jordaan, are being investigated by the party’s Federal Legal Commission for allegedly knowing that falsified documentation, relating to an investigation into the flouting of internal party procurement rules, would be publicised.
Last month, August and councillor Matthew Kempthorne were found guilty of not following procurement rules after the two bought party T-shirts before the 2016 local government election campaign without going through proper legal processes.
An agreement and sentence of suspended membership terminations for five years, and one month’s salary, which must be paid to the party within 10 months, was agreed upon.
De Lille has since resigned as the DA’s Western Cape leader, and party members are expected to elect an acting leader at the provincial council in Worcester this weekend.
Jordaan has also resigned from his post.
But a DA insider, who is supportive of De Lille, said media reports yesterday that she faced possible expulsion were part of a smear campaign by some inside the DA caucus to prevent August from becoming the party’s interim provincial leader.
“He’s currently ahead, and this story came out to sway the race in favour of Helen Zille’s preferred candidate (Bonginkosi Madikizela),” said the insider.
Jordaan was accused of sending doctored admission of guilt documents to the media, with the knowledge of De Lille and August.
August yesterday denied having falsified anything, and denied leaking anything.
De Lille, who joined the DA in 2010, denied that she faced expulsion but acknowledged that a disciplinary process had been started against her, referring The Star’s sister paper, the Cape Times, to an earlier statement by the party’s federal executive chairperson, James Selfe.
Selfe said the leak was in violation of the party’s confidentiality policy.
“The DA’s Western Cape provincial executive committee has referred the leak of confidential party documentation to the media to me for consideration. There has been no suspension of any person as the investigation is still unfolding,” Selfe said yesterday.