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By Gopolang Chawane

Journalist


Never say never to a De Lille and ANC partnership – Mbalula

Fikile Mbalula may be knowing something ahead of the looming vote of no confidence against De Lille by the DA this week.


ANC election head Fikile Mbalula may have outed Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s next move when he stated that people should never brush off the idea of an ANC – De Lille partnership.

During a briefing today to announce the ANC’s election plans in Cape Town, Mbalula made remarks that got a lot of people thinking.

The former police minister said idea of a De Lille – ANC partnership should not be ruled out as De Lille was “very powerful” and had integrity.

Remarks by Mbalula come at a questionable time, as the City of Cape Town DA caucus is expected to hold a vote of no confidence against De Lille later this week, after it was granted permission to do so by the DA’s federal executive.

This may have influenced Mbalula’s positive description of the Cape Town mayor. He said De Lille had given the ANC a tough time in the Metro as she had doubled voting numbers. He also complimented De Lille as a hard worker who had won the hearts of the Western Cape people.

Mbalula announced the ANC Western Cape’s head of election as former Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool, who also seconded Mbalula’s notion of an ANC and De Lille partnership.

Rasool was appointed by former President Thabo Mbeki but resigned from his position as premier in 2008.

Mbalula said part of their campaign was to tap into issues to ensure transformation within the provincial economy to ensure coloureds and Africans moved from the economic boundary.

Mbalula may have fueled more speculation about the Cape Town mayor’s next move by stating that a partnership between the ANC and “a beautiful person,” referring to De Lille, was not off the cards.

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