The DA is gearing up to fire Mayor De Lille from the Party and the Council

22 February 2017  

The DA is gearing up to fire Mayor De Lille from the Party and the Council. This has become clear with the request for her to explain herself to the structures for her role in the leaked report of the sweater corruption. This corruption saw Shaun August get kick backs for the purchase of sweaters. This leak provides the pretext that the DA has been waiting for, to deal with De Lille ,who was tramping on the toes of the old white guard. De Lille has been promoting the Independent Democrats to senior positions in the Council, that they are clearly not capable of and politically junior to many old DA members in Council.

This debacle at the Council has been complicated by romantic encounters between leading persons from both caucuses in the Council. This has led to the inner workings of De Lille being exposed to Helen Zille, who has seized on this as her chance to deal with De Lille.

The DA old guard has asserted their control over the DA in the City of Cape Town, and reinforced their baas skap over the DA. The DA manipulation of the race politics in the City has been exposed through this encounter and will no doubt see De Lille reveal many of the instructions to her to defend white privilege. The exposure of the DA to promise integration, but defend separation, may be a price to high to pay amongst the electorate. This may see the DA come to a political deal with De Lille and her luitanants, rather than risk a mayor political exposure.

The one thing that is for sure is that the DA will never be the same, as this has essentially been a revolt of the tame blacks, who have split into house blacks and outside blacks.

Issued by Tony Ehrenreich, Provincial Secretary, COSATU WC, 22 February 2017