Despite placing Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille and executive mayoral committee member for safety‚ security and social services JP Smith on special leave‚ DA leader Mmusi Maimane on Wednesday set the record straight‚ saying there were no factions brewing in his party.

“To say what is happening in the city of Cape Town is the same as what is happening in the ANC is inaccurate at best‚” said Maimane‚ suggesting that the spat between De Lille and Smith was not one for power.

 “When I met with the mayor and MMC JP Smith it was is to make sure that the climate is right. I put them on special leave and [will] ensure that we can focus on how we can build a city that delivers‚” he said. “The business of Cape Town must continue.”

 Maimane was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Joburg Indaba in Sandton.

 His move against De Lille and Smith has lanced the boil on divisions in the party‚ with insiders warning that the fracture has the potential to become the same sort of disaster for the DA as the streetname debacle of 2001‚ which split the party and weakened its electoral position for a decade.

Hearings into the namecalling between De Lille and Smith began on Tuesday under the chairmanship of parliamentary chief whip John Steenhuisen‚ who said the hearings would continue for several days.

It is not clear whether De Lille and Smith will be able to attend Saturday’s DA congress in Cape Town‚ which will elect a new provincial leader. The contenders are housing MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela‚ backed by Smith; provincial legislature member Lennit Max; and mayoral committee member Anda Ntsodo‚ who is likely to split the vote.

It is understood that De Lille and Smith went on a war of words‚ allegedly over the disbanding of Cape Town’s special investigation unit‚ which fell under Smith’s portfolio.

 The Times reported on Monday that Smith had written to Maimane and DA federal executive chairman James Selfe raising concerns about the closure of the unit. In his letter‚ he also pointed to speculation that security alterations at De Lille’s home were made illegally.

He told The Times it was unfortunate that the letter had been leaked. “I wrote to the leadership and I said‚ ‘I’m not getting joy with the mayor; they closed the unit on the 4th of August’‚ and I asked for a meeting.

“I had to wait until last week for a meeting‚ at which the mayor was unwilling to discuss the closure of the unit. So I went to the leadership and I said‚ ‘Look. I think this is of public interest‚ you should intervene’‚” he said.

Regarding the renovations‚ De Lille said in Monday’s statement that she had proof she had paid for the renovations herself.

The letter comes amid rumours of tension within the city of Cape Town following the toppling of Shaun August as the DA’s Cape metro regional chairman. August has openly voiced his support for De Lille.

In De Lille’s statement on Monday‚ she accused Smith of wanting to “play cowboys and crooks by releasing all kinds of statements that the metro police is responsible for fighting crime”‚ a responsibility she said was for the South African Police Service.

The beef between De Lille and Smith is not new. Last year it emerged that De Lille had allegedly started preparing to sack him from his post as mayoral committee member for safety and security. However‚ he managed to hold onto his post after intense lobbying.