Cape Town mayor Helen Zille has accused cellphone giant Vodacom of helping the ANC-controlled Western Cape government to illegally spy on her.

The Erasmus commission has shut down in the wake of this week's court judgement declaring it illegal, commission secretary Zithulele Twala says.

DA leader Helen Zille is planning to have Judge Nathan Erasmus hauled before the Judicial Service Commission.

The Western Cape government has no intention of challenging Monday's high court ruling on the Erasmus commission, according to Premier Lynne Brown.

The Erasmus commission, set up to probe alleged irregularities in the City of Cape Town, is unconstitutional, a court ruled on Monday.

Having a judge head the politically loaded Erasmus commission undermined the principle of separation of powers, lawyers for the City of Cape Town and the Democratic Alliance argued on Thursday. The city and the party have asked the court to quash the commission to probe the legality of the city's spying on renegade councillor Badih Chaaban.

One of the key motives behind the Erasmus commission was to stop the realignment of South African politics, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille said on Friday. The commission was set up by Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool in December 2007 to investigate the City of Cape Town's probe into controversial councillor Badih Chaaban.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille was emerging as a person who would go to extremes to cover up the truth, a former member of the DA said on Tuesday. "[She is] a person who criticises the judiciary and the media because their duties do not fit her political agenda," Kobus Brynard, a Western Cape MPL for the African National Congress, said.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille on Monday vowed to take her fight against the Erasmus commission to the Constitutional Court. The commission was set up by Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool in December 2007 to investigate the City of Cape Town's probe into controversial councillor Badih Chaaban.

The Erasmus commission's sittings have been suspended pending the City of Cape Town's application to the Cape High Court challenging the commission's legality. This emerged after a day of behind-the-scenes negotiations on Wednesday between the legal representatives of the various parties involved.