×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

‘De Lille didn’t contravene her gag order in spat with ANC councillor’

On Thursday it appeared that Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille had acted in contravention of the DA’s gagging order imposed on her — but the DA will not go after.

Instead‚ DA federal executive chairperson James Selfe said De Lille had the right to respond to allegations levelled against her and to security improvements to her home.

De Lille is on special leave from DA party activities. She was forced to step back after a public spat with the safety and security mayoral committee member‚ JP Smith‚ over disbandment of the city’s special investigative unit.

The standoff was allegedly prompted by a leaked letter‚ written by Smith to the party’s leadership‚ raising concerns about the disbandment.

De Lille: ‘I have enough money. I don't steal money from anyone’ 

In it Smith also hinted that security upgrades to her home were irregular.

De Lille threatened to take legal action against her colleague but the DA put a lid on the fight when it established a subcommittee‚ chaired by its National Assembly chief whip John Steenhuisen‚ to resolve the matter.

The two were then barred from speaking about the matter publicly.

But De Lille broke her silence on Thursday following a chaotic start to a council meeting where the ANC interrupted her opening speech.

The council was brought to a standstill after ANC leader Xolani Sotashe tried to ask De Lille about security upgrades to her house.

The meeting had to be adjourned twice and the ANC finally left the chamber.

Sotashe later said his party refused to be addressed by De Lille because she had not commented on allegations of the misappropriation of funds.

ANC councillors called her a thief and also demanded that she “pay back the money!”

A visibly angry De Lille then let rip at her detractors‚ saying she never stole from the council and that security upgrades at her house were as a result of a police assessment.

She submitted documents to the council as proof and stated she had given receipts to her lawyers.

“I have got enough money. I am not in business like others who are in business and in politics. I have got enough money. I don’t need a cent‚ in fact I have been thinking of lending some money to the city at low interest rate to deal with the water‚” said an angry De Lille.

Selfe said the spat in the council had nothing to do with the skirmish with Smith.  

“The matter of the security on her house is a governance issue‚ which the ANC had raised. She had both the right and the duty to respond to the allegations in her capacity as the mayor‚” said Selfe.