Internal DA vote could see De Lille axed

The DA has given its Cape Town councillors permission to hold an internal vote of no confidence in mayor Patricia de Lille.

Provincial party leader Bonginkosi Madikizela‚ who is tipped to replace De Lille as mayor if she is dumped‚ said yesterday the DA caucus in the City of Cape Town had explained in great detail to the federal executive why it had lost confidence in De Lille, 67.

They said she had: ý Repeatedly breached the code of conduct for councillors‚ and violated the DA constitution by bringing the party into disrepute and breaching the conditions of her suspension from DA activities;

• Criticised the DA so often in public “that it appears that she does not consider herself part of the DA any longer‚ or at least considers herself more important than it and above the rules of the party”; and
• Made a recent comment that “she is no longer cooperating with the DA”‚ meaning she cannot effectively govern on a DA mandate.

Madikizela said the accountability clause adopted at the DA’s federal congress allowed the party to establish confidence in any member of the executive.

“However‚ this must be done to ensure that members of the executive [mayors‚ premiers and presidents] are held to the high standard which has been set by the DA to serve the people who have elected us into government.

“When a structure of the party‚ like the DA Cape Town caucus‚ makes a case that they have lost confidence in a member of their executive‚ it is incumbent on the federal executive to consider the request.

“This is what the FedEx considered today and found that a motion of no confidence should be allowed to proceed,” Madikizela said.

De Lille said the federal executive decision proved her claim that the accountability clause was designed to get rid of her. – TimesLIVE