Patricia de Lille wants a secret ballot when Cape Town councillors vote on February 15 on a motion of no-confidence in her as mayor.
Tweeting on Thursday‚ De Lille said she had launched an urgent application in the High Court in Cape Town to ensure members of the DA caucus were free to vote according to their conscience as well as secretly.
“I do not wish to avoid facing a motion of confidence‚ but I am seeking the assurance that it will proceed in a constitutional and fair manner‚ especially considering that I have not been treated fairly by the DA throughout this process‚” said De Lille.
She said DA regulations forced caucus members to toe the line on collective decisions.
Two days ago‚ one of her allies — caucus chairman Suzette Little — had informed her that DA federal executive chairman James Selfe “was of the opinion that in terms of the DA’s constitution all caucus members are bound by the caucus decision ‚ even those who did not vote for it”.
The 66-year-old mayor said city council rules did not allow Speaker Dirk Smit — another De Lille ally — to decide that voting in a motion of no-confidence could be by secret ballot.
“Many councilors‚ ordinary party members and members of the public are supporting me and wish that the councillors that represent them be given an opportunity to vote against the motion without fear of being sidelined in the party‚” she said..
“Party leadership‚ both at federal and provincial level‚ desperately want to get rid of me. Anyone with aspirations to move up in the ranks of the DA will fear the repercussions that will follow if they vote against the motion.”
De Lille‚ who faces council‚ party and criminal investigations into her alleged misconduct‚ said she had applied to the High Court to interdict DA federal and provincial leaders from instructing caucus members how to vote.
“Their behaviour until this juncture has proven that they will politically manipulate the caucus for their factional gains‚” she said‚ adding that the DA constitution prohibited any member of a legislative body from voting on a motion of no-confidence without federal executive approval.
“I have also asked the court to declare this clause unconstitutional and invalid‚ as it is inconsistent with the constitution as well as the Municipal Structures Act‚” she said.
De Lille asks court to allow secret ballot in vote on her future
Tweeting on Thursday‚ De Lille said she had launched an urgent application in the High Court in Cape Town to ensure members of the DA caucus were free to vote according to their conscience as well as secretly.
“I do not wish to avoid facing a motion of confidence‚ but I am seeking the assurance that it will proceed in a constitutional and fair manner‚ especially considering that I have not been treated fairly by the DA throughout this process‚” said De Lille.
She said DA regulations forced caucus members to toe the line on collective decisions.
Two days ago‚ one of her allies — caucus chairman Suzette Little — had informed her that DA federal executive chairman James Selfe “was of the opinion that in terms of the DA’s constitution all caucus members are bound by the caucus decision ‚ even those who did not vote for it”.
The 66-year-old mayor said city council rules did not allow Speaker Dirk Smit — another De Lille ally — to decide that voting in a motion of no-confidence could be by secret ballot.
“Many councilors‚ ordinary party members and members of the public are supporting me and wish that the councillors that represent them be given an opportunity to vote against the motion without fear of being sidelined in the party‚” she said..
“Party leadership‚ both at federal and provincial level‚ desperately want to get rid of me. Anyone with aspirations to move up in the ranks of the DA will fear the repercussions that will follow if they vote against the motion.”
De Lille‚ who faces council‚ party and criminal investigations into her alleged misconduct‚ said she had applied to the High Court to interdict DA federal and provincial leaders from instructing caucus members how to vote.
“Their behaviour until this juncture has proven that they will politically manipulate the caucus for their factional gains‚” she said‚ adding that the DA constitution prohibited any member of a legislative body from voting on a motion of no-confidence without federal executive approval.
“I have also asked the court to declare this clause unconstitutional and invalid‚ as it is inconsistent with the constitution as well as the Municipal Structures Act‚” she said.
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