De Lille says the DA is looking for shortcuts to have her removed as mayor

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille has issued a statement following the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) federal executive’s decision to give the go-ahead to the party’s Cape Town caucus to hold an internal motion of no confidence in her.

On Monday, the DA caucus in the Cape Town metro took the decision to request the party’s federal executive to table an internal motion of no confidence in De Lille.

The federal executive reportedly gave the greenlight to the caucus during a special meeting held via teleconference this morning.

The Cape Town caucus is now expected to set a date for a special caucus meeting, where voting on De Lille’s future as Cape Town mayor will be decided by DA councillors.

In the statement, De Lille shared on her verified Twitter account she questioned why the party was not prepared to wait for the outcome of its disciplinary hearings.

“The DA, including the DA leader, have denied that this clause was designed for me, but this proves that the recall clause was designed to get rid of me as soon as possible,” the statement reads.

My statement in response media queries about the latest move by the DA caucus and Fedex pic.twitter.com/iCRb6AhceX

— Patricia de Lille (@PatriciaDeLille) April 18, 2018

Last week the DA’s leadership denied that the recall rule – passed at the party’s recent federal congress known as the De Lille Clause – was directed at the Cape Town mayor.

It further dismissed allegations that it was planning to take De Lille to task for attending and addressing an EFF-initiated memorial service for the late ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in the Free State.

“Why are they looking for a shortcut? And why are they objecting to my hearings being open to the media and public as requested by me as the accused in these matters?” De Lille questioned in her statement.

She added the decision by the DA federal executive to grant the Cape Town metro caucus permission to hold an internal motion of no confidence in her was evidence that the party disregarded its own processes.

Following the caucus’s resolution on Monday to request the federal executive for permission to hold the internal motion of no confidence in De Lille, she tweeted:

The latest move by the DA caucus proves that the Recall Clause is a De Lille Clause and that the DA Constitution was especially amended to have me removed.

— Patricia de Lille (@PatriciaDeLille) April 16, 2018

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