The Democratic Alliance (DA) says that it does not yet have a suitable mayoral candidate to replace former Cape Town Mayor, Patricia de Lille.
Deputy Chairperson of the DA Federal Executive, Natasha Mazzone told Political Analysis South Africa on Tuesday, 8 May 2018 that the party still has to undergo several internal processes before deciding on a new candidate.
“The party will now begin a process of an electoral college to elect from the party’s side to decide who will be the mayor of Cape Town, “she said.
The party’s Federal Executive announced at a press briefing on 8 May 2018 that the party has terminated de Lille’s membership, a situation that invariably means she can no longer retain her position as the Mayor of Cape Town.
At the press briefing, Mazzone said de Lille had effectively resigned from the DA during a radio interview with Eusebuis McKaiser on Radio 702 on Thursday, 26 April 2018. The Federal Constitution of the DA provides that a member ceases to become a member when they “publicly declare his or her intention to resign and/or publicly declares his or her resignation from the Party.”
Earlier this month the DA caucus in Cape Town passed a motion of no confidence in de Lille citing issues of corruption and maladministration in the city. The caucus made use of the recently resolved “Accountability Clause” that was passed at the DA’s congress in April 2018 to pas the motion of no confidence.
The former Mayor of Cape Town has repeatedly stated that the party adopted the clause in a bid to oust her. Mazzone has, however, denied these claims by saying that the Clause had already been used in two other DA-run municipalities.
“I certainly don’t think that Ms. de Lille has been treated unfairly. That particular clause has been used in other different occasions. It was not a clause adopted for Mayor de Lille. It was a clause adopted to ensure accountability in all our executives,” she said.
Meanwhile, de Lille has said she intends to fight her expulsion from the DA in court.
At a press briefing of her own on 8 May 2018, de Lille said that she would apply for an interdict to stop Cape Town city manager, Lungelo Mbandazayo from declaring the office of the mayor as vacant.
“I have not been found guilty of anything. They have tried to break me so many times,” she said.
