Is De Lille getting ready to jump ship?

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s attendance at yesterday’s EFF memorial service for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela could be seen as her thumbing her nose at the DA and an indication that she is ready to swap the DA’s blue for the EFF’s red.

According to one analyst, her attendance may also expose her to the wrath of the DA’s so-called De Lille Clause, for addressing a commemoration rally organised by a rival party.

Although De Lille addressed the EFF-sponsored memorial service for Madikizela-Mandela in Brandfort, Free State, in her personal capacity, some saw this as an act of defiance against the DA and a sign she might join either the EFF or the ANC towards the 2019 election.

However, she refused to respond to what she termed “speculation” about her plans, when asked by The Citizen.

EFF South Africa shared this picture on Twitter on 11 April 2018 featuring Julius Malema hugging Patricia de Lille at the EFF’s memorial service for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela with the following message: “Cape Town Mayer @PatriciaDeLille arrives at the #EFFWinnieMandelaMemorialService to also give a tribute”.

De Lille surprised many when she flew to Brandfort to attend the commemoration as a guest of the EFF. She was billed on the EFF programme as “special colleague mayor”, but the EFF denied that it was recruiting De Lille who, according to speculation, is also being courted by the ANC.

Recently, De Lille was seen at a jazz festival in Cape Town hugging ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, sparking a frenzy of speculation about her plans if the DA fired her.

De Lille has a struggle background and was an MP and senior leader of the PAC before she left the party to establish the Independent Democrats, which later merged with the DA.

She is currently facing disciplinary action from her party over allegations of corruption and bringing the party into disrepute.

At the weekend, the DA adopted a recall clause, popularly dubbed the “De Lille Clause”, to enable it to recall its public representatives. Many, including De Lille, said the policy was designed to get rid of her.

Political analyst Sanusha Naidu said although De Lille has yet to reveal her intentions if the DA fires her, her attendance at the EFF gathering could land her in trouble with the DA.

Naidu said she was still a DA member until her inquiry was concluded, therefore the party could take exception to her being a guest and addressing a gathering of a rival party, especially considering the EFF’s head-butting with the DA in the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Metro.

The EFF is leading an attempt to remove NMB DA mayor Athol Trollip via a motion of no confidence. The motion has failed to materialise twice, due to council meetings being disrupted by the opposition parties.

At the DA congress in Pretoria at the weekend, party federal executive chairperson James Selfe said the recall clause would not be applied retrospectively or against De Lille. However, he said that this did not preclude anyone from submitting a fresh no-confidence motion against her.

Selfe’s words were interpreted as meaning the party planned to use the new clause to fire her from the party.

In terms of the clause, a member who is asked to resign via no-confidence motion has to resign within 48 hours, failing which his or her party membership is automatically terminated.

Naidu said the DA could approach its lawyers for an interpretation of the recall clause regarding De Lille’s attendance of the EFF-sponsored commemoration and, on the basis of that, charge her again.

Patricia de Lille chats with Bishop Johannes Seoka at the EFF’s memorial service for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in Brandfort, Free State. Picture: Twitter

Addressing the memorial service, De Lille praised Madikizela-Mandela for being a tough woman and described her as a “flower of the nation” and the “mother of the nation”.

“She was so tough, yet so soft, she cried with us,” De Lille said.

She said Madikizela-Mandela made mistakes, but she knew and understood the struggle of the poor and had given everything, even her own life, to the cause.

At the service, EFF national chairperson Dali Mpofu made a statement that sparked speculation the party was trying to recruit De Lille.

Mpofu said that as she had experienced being chucked out of parliament (like EFF MPs), she was ready. He chanted in Xhosa that De Lille must return home, come the 2019 election.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

Also read: It’s not De Lille on trial anymore, it’s Maimane’s leadership, says analyst

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