Faeces was dumped at government offices in Cape Town
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) federal executive has authorised a motion of no confidence in Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, the party announced on Wednesday.
The City’s ANC caucus was expected to table the motion today but announced earlier in the day that it had opted against it.
The DA City of Cape Town caucus released a statement before the ANC’s briefing on Wednesday morning saying that its federal executive “authorised the caucus – which has already expressed its lack of confidence in the mayor by a way of a caucus vote – the right to support the ANC’s motion”.
The DA was prepared to back the ANC’s tabling of a motion of no confidence but seemingly will now go at it alone.
De Lille’s future has been hanging in the balance for months following a series of allegations against her including corruption and gross misconduct as well the DA’s federal executive formally charging and investigating her and some of the city’s most senior staff on several counts.
First DA motion of no confidence in De Lille
The motion of no confidence against De Lille today won’t be the first she has faced since assuming the position of mayor. The DA caucus voted strongly in favour of a motion to remove the mayor from office last week when the party decided by 84 to 59 votes that it had lost confidence in De Lille.
The proposal of no confidence against De Lille was then sent to the party’s federal executive to decide on the matter with DA Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela saying:e [DA] cannot impose a leader to the caucus who has clearly lost the confidence of the caucus.”
In a statement, the DA noted that its federal executive “authorised the DA caucus in the City of Cape Town to lodge a motion of no confidence in Mayor Patricia de Lille.”
ANC withdraws motion of no confidence
During a briefing, City of Cape Town ANC chief whip Noluthando Makasi said the ANC is withdrawing its motion because even though De Lille is the face of a corrupt DA, she is only a small part of the bigger problem which is the DA and its lack of accountability.
Makasi also described De Lille as “the sacrificial lamb” and said that the ANC will not “allow the DA to use our motion of no confidence to fight its own destructive and internal battles at the expense of the people of the city.”
The ANC caucus has called for the DA to step aside and allow national government to intervene in the water crisis that the city is facing.