Twitter/ Pat De Lille
Twitter/ Pat De Lille
Patricia de Lille took centre stage in Cape Town on Thursday, as she delivered what was billed as her final speech as the city mayor. However, if you thought she was going quietly, then you really haven’t got to know Auntie Pat very well over the years.
De Lille absolutely hammered her opponents – referring exclusively to members within her own party – for the “malicious spread of fake news” regarding her alleged misappropriation of municipal funds.
PDL is currently fighting allegations made from a Bowman Gilfillan report, who were compelled to investigate the procurement of the Foreshore Freeway Project and find if there were any irregular actions taken by senior officials in the city. It was found that de Lille and her office “acted illegally” in this process.
However, she staunchly denies the claims and even remarked that this latest report from Bowman’s contradicts another recently-released one. With this cloud hanging over her head, de Lille used he swansong to swipe back at her critics, and it was blockbuster entertainment:
Patricia de Lille – what was said in “farewell” speech:
She wasted no time in addressing the Bowman leaks, slamming her colleagues for their “malicious intent”:
“It is grossly unacceptable that councillors would leak information with malicious intent to injure my name.”
Then, the defiance came. De Lille charged against her opponents and made the rather chilling promise that “no-one could stop her”. It’s all gone a bit Terminator, here…
“It is a minority, but some in this council are hell-bent on tarnishing my name. But I’ve said it before, I will not be deterred. I will not be stopped by anyone.”
Not in the mood to pull any punches, PDL went for the jugular and accused those who have taken umbrage to her leadership of co-ordinating “racist attacks”:
“I will not allow anyone to smear my name – I will not give in to these racist, bullying attacks”
The outgoing mayor soon shifted from talk to action, vowing to pursue criminal charges against DA party members who have circulated fake news articles about de Lille:
“Public representatives have gone so far as to spread fake news reports about me, purportedly from the Auditor General showing their complete disregard for the office of the AG. I will soon lay criminal charges against those party members who shared these posts”
A bullish de Lille even had time for some mind games with the haters…
“I would like to give those who accused me of using City money to renovate my home a chance to publicly apologise, failing that I will take legal actions against those who accused me.”
Will Patricia de Lille still resign as mayor?
Did we get any answers to the big burning questions of the day though? Well, sort of. She did at least manage to explain how she plans to tackle the Bowman report and insists another similar investigation has produced findings favourable to her case:
“I am happy to report to all councillors, the media and public in the gallery that there is another report before Council by the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) which clears me of any wrongdoing regarding the security upgrades at my private residence.”
But will she stay on as mayor? Well, her response really was a case of saving the best until last. While fielding questions from other council members, ACDP’s Grant Haskin asked Patricia de Lille if she’ll uphold her resignation. Her response was inconclusive, but it was also a huge slice of shade:
“Up until now, I have not been found guilty of anything. You are not my shop steward. I speak for myself. It is none of your business”
The meeting adjourned in dramatic fashion, as DA Chief Whip Shaun August handed in his resignation from the council in solidarity with de Lille. What a spicy morning we’ve had…
BREAKING: SHAUN August has resigned as DA Chief Whip in Council. He cites the DA treatment of De Lille as his reason. @WeekendArgus @IOL
— Soyiso Maliti (@soyiso_maliti) October 25, 2018
