Cape Town – Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille has compared her fight with the DA to a boxing match after 70% of councillors voted against her in a motion of no confidence on Wednesday night.
“This fight that I am having with the Democratic Alliance is like a boxing fight — you win one round, you lose one round. But in the end what is important is whose going to give the knockout,” De Lille said on Twitter while wearing boxing gloves.
Last week, the City of Cape Town Caucus requested permission from the DA’s Federal Executive to proceed with an internal Motion of No Confidence in De Lille.
The reasons an internal Motion of No Confidence was requested included the caucus having lost faith in De Lille.
“She had repeatedly breached the Code of Conduct for Councillors as well as the Constitution of the DA, had brought the DA into disrepute and the breached of the conditions of her suspension,” said Natasha Mazzone, DA Deputy Chairperson of Federal Council, in a statement.
“De Lille’s conduct in the public domain has amounted to frequent criticisms of the DA and the DA’s management of her case, to the extent 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,” Mazzone said.
On Wednesday, 97 councillors voted for the motion, 41 voted against, 15 abstained/were absent and there was one spoilt ballot.
The DA’s Federal Executive will provide De Lille with the opportunity to make submissions as to why she should not step down. They will then deliberate on the submission and come to a decision on how to proceed which could include the fact that De Lille will be asked to resign, in line with the Accountability clause.
The DA recently adopted the Accountability Clause during its Federal Congress. There were claims that it was intended specifically to be used against De Lille.
The DA, however, has denied any link, having said that it has been used elsewhere also.
“The clause has already enabled the DA to hold an executive member in the Matzikama municipality to account. This case was the first time the clause was used. We have also received a request from Stellenbosch municipality invoking the same clause,” Mazzone said.
