Patricia de Lille, Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, will have to explain why she attended the memorial of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela hosted by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) without consulting the top brass of the Democratic Alliance (DA).
De Lille had not informed the DA that she would be attending the memorial held at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, effectively breaking protocol. According to James Selfe, DA Chairperson of the Federal Council, the party’s action will depend on under what guise de Lille did not inform the party of her actions.
De Lille’s invitation to the EFF’s memorial service has prompted speculation that she may swap out the DA for the EFF. The EFF’s support for the beleaguered mayor was underlined during her introduction as speaker at the service.
In an interview conducted by
TimesLIVE, De Lille said that she went to the tribute as a friend to pay her respects to Mama Winnie. She also said that she knew her as a mother and a friend. De Lille’s appearance at the event raised many eyebrows, as she is currently embroiled in a disciplinary hearing conducted by her party, the DA.
Come May, the Western Cape High Court will present its ruling on De Lille’s application to set aside the report on her compiled by DA chief whip John Steenhuisen. This is just one of the challenges De Lille has encountered in clearing her name; two other disciplinary processes have been lined up against De Lille.
This includes what the DA claims is nepotism, and the second is for not advertising a job for an area-based director properly. De Lille may face another motion of no confidence come Monday, as the DA caucus is gearing up to discuss the way forward regarding the Mayor. At the DA congress hosted last weekend, the party adopted a recall clause which may spell the end for De Lille.
Picture: Twitter
