De Lille to start new party, run for premier

Former Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille has announced that she will be starting a new political party and contesting the 2019 elections, EWN has reported.

[BREAKING] De Lille announces she will be starting a new political party that will contest next year's elections in all nine provinces.

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) November 18, 2018

The premier says the five councillors who resigned in Cape Town will be joining her in starting the new party.

De Lille also said she is considering contesting the premiership.

She continued to say that while she’d been approached by many parties, including the ANC and the EFF, she opted not to join them as she wants to “change” the way SA politics works and “groom” young politicans.

She also ruled out coalitions in the upcoming elections, saying she’s “in it to win it.”

“I’ve got enough energy left. It’s time for a new political order in South Africa,” De Lille said at a Cape Town media briefing.

De Lille said she is researching whether it would be best to use the name of her previous party, The Independent Democrats, or to come up with a new one.

She said she will reveal the name along with the party’s policies in the coming weeks.

READ MORE: De Lille quits as mayor and as a member of the DA

According to De Lille, fighting racism and ending corruption will be the two main aims of the party.

The former Cape Town mayor vacated her office at 7pm on October 31.

Earlier that day, she announced that she had approached Western Cape high court to have a Bowmans report that makes adverse findings against her set aside.

She said she had not entered politics for positions and would continue to fight to clear her name despite no longer being mayor.

She also announced her resignation as a member of the DA, which she said was full of “stupid people” who had slandered her.

De Lille paid tribute to those who have supported her. Another two councillors resigned in solidarity with her, both as councillors and as party members.

She signed her resignation in full view of the media in front of the court.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Additional reporting by Charles Cilliers)

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.