BOKAMOSO
Patricia De Lille: The DA was right to hold her to account
Today Patricia De Lille resigned as mayor of Cape Town, as per the agreement I made with her in good faith in August. I realise it has been a difficult time for the people of Cape Town. It is important now that we draw a line in the sand and focus on the future, on improving peoples’ lives, and on building an inclusive, sustainable city.
I have always maintained that De Lille has made a valuable contribution to South Africa. Nevertheless, as mayor she stands accused of doing some inherently wrong things, as detailed in a 2000-page report (read a summary here) by independent legal firm Bowman Gilfillan.
The city council has now laid charges against De Lille, based on the findings of this report, which clearly shows how De Lille’s conduct systematically broke down good governance in the City of Cape Town by manipulating city processes and protecting the wrongdoing of city officials.
It recommends that De Lille be criminally charged for, amongst other things, interfering in city tenders. She did so by interfering in the legal obligation of the former City Manager, Achmat Ebrahim, to institute legally required disciplinary action against officials suspected to have violated the law.