DA has lied to SA, says De Lille

Patricia de Lille filed an affidavit on Monday that accuses the Democratic Alliance of lying to the high court and to South Africa, the Times has reported.

The affidavit also claims that the DA has “disrespected” and “abused” court processes, and requests that the party be made to pay her legal costs in the event that she loses her case, to “send a strong message” to “other political parties … not to abuse the law and the courts to fight their political battles”.

De Lille took aim in particular at DA federal chair James Selfe, branding him dishonest in his account of how he made the decision to terminate her DA membership and suggesting the process of her removal took place without any significant internal debate.

Her affidavit accuses the DA of attempting to use an illegal shortcut by summarily terminating her membership without allowing her to go through the party’s usual disciplinary processes.

READ MORE: Patricia de Lille proposes affordable housing in Cape Town’s tallest skyscraper

De Lille has been back at work for a week now, despite claims from some DA officials that her return is only “ceremonial”. De Lille has disputed this account, saying she has a packed diary and that it’s “business as usual” at work.

Yesterday, she put forward a proposal that may see the Cape Town’s first low-income housing project in the city centre since democracy.

The Zero2One skyscraper, which will be built on the block surrounded by Adderley, Strand, St Georges and Waterkant streets, will be the city’s tallest building when completed. A significant part of it will be set aside for households with income of less than R15 000 per month.

Meanwhile, the vicious battle between De Lille and the Democratic Alliance looks set to continue. DA leader Mmusi Maimane was interviewed on 702 yesterday, where he defended the party’s handling of the matter, saying they could not be seen to be ignoring allegations of corruption in order to pander to voters.

The DA’s handling of the matter has been unpopular, with some accusing them of racism. De Lille has accused Maimane of betraying her and leading the fight to oust her as mayor.