READ: Mazzone’s response to De Lille’s open letter

The spokesperson says neither she nor the Democratic Alliance would be bullied into silence by the Cape Town mayor.

Natasha Mazzone. Facebook.

Democratic Alliance (DA) deputy federal chairperson Natasha Mazzone has responded to Patricia De Lille’s open letter with a letter of her own.

In her open letter, De Lille called Mazzone the DA’s “scripted spokesperson” whose knowledge of the City of Cape Town’s case is lacking.

In her response, Mazzone said when representing the DA, she does so in her capacity as the deputy chair of the party’s federal council and not as its spokesperson.

De Lille accused Mazzone of “mindlessly repeating” false accusations made against her, which include that she had breached the councillors’ code of conduct and the DA’s constitution, brought the party to disrepute and breached the conditions of her suspension.

“You also say that I am being charged for corruption when there is not a single corruption charge against me. I have literally spent [the] past seven months waiting for the evidence of these transgressions including today [Thursday, June 28], where the DA failed to produce said evidence in the court once more,” De Lille wrote.

The Cape Town mayor’s high court bid yesterday to compel the DA to hand over evidence, on which a damning internal investigation into her leadership by the party was based, has been postponed to November 1.

Speaking outside court, De Lille said the reason the case had been postponed was because the DA had failed to make the June 18 deadline for their replying affidavit, only submitting it on the afternoon of June 27.

Mazzone said De Lille’s letter sought to mislead the people of Cape Town, describing it as a “personal and vitriolic” attack.

She asserts that neither she nor the DA will be bullied into silence by De Lille.

“Instead of trying to bully me, you should answer key questions that you have consistency dodged. Did you SMS Councillor Limberg asking that the then City Manager be scored highest because you want to keep him, yes or no?

“Why did you refuse to cooperate with the ongoing Bowman’s investigation into maladministration in the City?

“Why did you publicly attack and seek to intimidate two whistleblowers in the City?

“Did you unduly influence the appointment of Limia Essop because you have a personal relationship with her? Yes or no?,” Mazzone questioned in her letter.

De Lille dismissed the claim that she refused to participate in the Bowman’s investigation as a lie, writing that she is in the process of finalising her response.

Read Mazzone’s letter below: