De Lille threatens to go to court if DA hearing is not open
20 March 2018
Cape Town - Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille has threatened to approach the courts if her request for an open hearing is not granted.
Her disciplinary hearing got off to a slow start. Technicalities were discussed, including how the panel was appointed and how the hearing should be constituted.
"We haven't even gotten to the recusal of the panel yet," she said.
It's no secret that De Lille believes Sheila Camerer, one of the three panellists, is not "competent or suitable to hear the matter". Previously, the mayor said Camerer hadn't "practised law in decades and she is a known political opponent".
Once that aspect is dealt with, the request for the hearing is to be open.
The mayor has been charged with contravening the federal constitution of the party, amid claims of misconduct.
Before proceedings, she said that, as the first citizen of the city, she felt her hearing should be open.
DA federal council chairperson James Selfe said on Monday that the matter related to her alleged contravention of the party's constitution.
The process, he said, was therefore different to the corruption investigations currently under way in the City of Cape Town council.
Her hearing was "an internal matter" between a member and the party, he said at the time.
Media24, which owns News24 and Netwerk24, placed an application before the disciplinary committee in which it asked for media access to the hearing.
De Lille said she supported the application.
Proceedings are expected to continue on Wednesday, but De Lille has argued that she would not be available on the public holiday.
She was unsure if her legal team would be present.
