De Lille rejects offer to keep mayoral position temporarily open, wants reinstatement
Patricia de Lille has rejected an offer by the DA to keep the permanent position of Cape Town mayor - and her seat in the council - vacant for the next three months while the parties argue the merits of her removal in court.
De Lille confirmed with News24 on Thursday that her lawyers received an offer on Wednesday that her position will not be "permanently" filled for the next three months, but filled by an acting mayor, while the parties head to court.
Her lawyers subsequently rejected the offer.
They will rather argue on Friday that the court should urgently suspend her removal from the DA, and thus the Cape Town city council, effectively returning her to her position. The merits of her removal will then be argued at a later date, while the "status quo" is preserved.
Her team has also requested that the Cape Town city manager be interdicted from informing the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) that she has ceased to be a member of the DA, and that the IEC also be interdicted from filling the vacancy.