/ 16 July 2018

DA moves to oust De Lille again

(David Harrison/M&G)
(David Harrison/M&G)

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has confirmed that it will appeal the Western Cape high court judgement which reinstated Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille as a member of the party.

DA federal executive deputy chairperson Natasha Mazzone said that while the party respects the courts, it would be taking the judgement on appeal.

“Yes, the DA will be appealing the judgement delivered by the Cape High Court,” Mazzone told the Mail & Guardian.

If the DA wins its latest appeal, it would mean that De Lille’s membership would once again be terminated and she would lose her mayorship.

In June, a full bench of judges reinstated De Lille’s membership because they found that the party had not followed due process when it sacked De Lille in May. Judge Andre le Grange, reading the judgement, said that the DA improperly established its federal legal commission selection panel which terminated De Lille’s membership. It also did not give De Lille a fair chance to submit evidence to mitigate her being stripped of her membership, Le Grange said.

READ MORE: She’s back: De Lille triumphs over DA

Immediately after judgement was handed down, the party said it would consult lawyers before it determined if it would appeal the judgement.

On Monday, Mazzone said that the appeal would challenge the court’s determination that the party failed to follow its own due process when it ousted De Lille.

“The judgement itself will be appealed in terms of the fact that the court found we had erred in our process, however we very respectfully disagree,” Mazzone said.

The appeal will be the latest in a series of court disputes between the party and De Lille. The embattled mayor has been fighting to keep her seat since last year when the DA began an investigation into allegations of corruption levelled against her.

As yet, the DA has not found De Lille guilty of corruption.

De Lille, meanwhile, has called on the DA to submit evidence of her alleged wrongdoing and has accused the party of trying to “get rid” of her.