Political analyst, Prof. Somadoda Fikeni, says the relationship between Cape Town Mayor, Patricia de Lille, and the DA has broken down, irretrievably so.
This is after the Democratic Alliance (DA) claimed to have not been informed about de Lille’s planned attendance of the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) memorial service for the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on 11 April 2018.
De Lille responded in a tweet that she would not make her attendance a “side issue.”
Fikeni told Political Analysis South Africa on Friday, 13 April 2018 that the public spat between de Lille and the DA could see the Cape Town Mayor moving to another party in the near future.
“She may opt to join an established party, or she may opt to establish or re-establish her party, the ID [Independent Democrats] and partner with other established parties,” he said.
“It looks like the handling of the matter might get ugly before it is finalised as it has now been taken to public spaces,” he added.
Fikeni also believes that disillusioned members of the DA may follow in the event that she leaves the DA.
“Surely she will take her ID followers within the DA because they themselves may begin to believe that their future is uncertain and there might be a witch-hunt against her,” he said.
“She may lead to the disaffection of the coloured people who are beginning to feel like they are now being effectively being used to gain Cape Town and the Western Cape, and now the new kids on the block are blacks who are being preferred because now the DA has moved on,” he added.