Patricia de Lille was arguing that the court should grant a secret ballot in a vote of no confidence brought against her by the DA
Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille has lashed out at the Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus for attempting to remove her through the party’s recently adopted recall clause.
On Monday night, De Lille reacted to news that the party’s Cape Town caucus had voted to hold an internal motion of no confidence if the Federal Executive allows it.
READ MORE: For DA members only: Caucus wants a motion of no confidence in De Lille
De Lille said: “The latest move by the DA caucus proves that the Recall Clause is a De Lille Clause and that the DA Constitution was especially amended to have me removed.”
She later posted that reaction in a tweet on her Twitter account, where some supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters encouraged her to leave the DA and join the red berets.
De Lille has previously indicated that if the party attempted to remove her through the recall clause, which allows for members in executive governance positions to be forced to resign from office if their caucus has lost confidence in them, then she would challenge them in court.
“I also have a High Court case pending for 2 May. I’m going to court to ask for a review of the Steenhuisen report. And should it come at some time, I will certainly deal with it at that point in time,” she told EWN.
The Steenhuisen report made allegations that De Lille was involved in corruption, nepotism and covering up corrupt activity of some of her colleagues in the City of Cape Town.
In February, the city council voted in a motion of no confidence, where De Lille triumphed. She said DA members who voted in her favour did so because there was no evidence yet to back up the claims in the Steenhuisen report.
The DA caucus agreed to ask the Federal Executive for permission to have an internal motion of no confidence with 66% of members voting for the proposal and 10% voting against it.
Caucus deputy leader JP Smith said that the Federal Executive would also be asked to allow the recall clause to be used in De Lille’s case, if the majority of the vote is against her.