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Analyst says De Lille resignation is a surprise

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A political analyst from the University of the Western Cape, Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, says the recent events around outgoing Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille and the Democratic Alliance (DA) raise more questions than answers.

Mngomezulu says it is strange that De Lille would agree to resign as Mayor on the eve of open disciplinary hearings against her. The hearings were due to begin this week.

De Lille has been at loggerheads with the DA in recent months over governance issues in the City of Cape Town.

She narrowly won a motion of no confidence against her and also successfully challenged her expulsion from the DA in the courts.

Mngomezulu says it is surprising that De Lille has now taken an about turn by resigning as Mayor.

“Both the DA and Patricia de Lille are taking the nation for a ride. As a matter of fact, they are not doing the party any favour, and Patricia de Lille is not doing herself any favour either. Because, when this issue started her point of departure was that she was innocent, and the party was saying she is guilty. So, therefore, under normal circumstances one would have expected that the process would be allowed to take its course up to the end.”

De Lille earlier said that she feels vindicated, but Mngomezulu disagrees.

“The reality of the matter is that she’s lost, because she had wanted to retain her position until the end of her term, and that is not going to happen anymore because the process of electing a new mayor is already underway. And if anything, she has not only failed herself, she has failed the majority of people who’ve been supporting her.”

De Lille has now revealed that she is starting a civil case against some DA Councillors and MPs for smearing her name in public.

“I have instructed my lawyers to start civil litigation so that we can also teach people not to do that to anybody else. If you don’t have evidence don’t make statements in public because you will be called to prove it.”

One of the Cape Town residents says, “Why suddenly would she step off overnight? That’s the question we want to know. Why is she doing that now, suddenly?”

Another resident says, “My view is that they are fighting there inside the DA for control.”

De Lille will serve as mayor until the end of October.

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