I fought for this hearing - Patricia de Lille

19 March 2018 8:55 PM

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille says there is no reason why the Democratic Alliance (DA) should refuse to open her hearing to the public, if the party believes it has a watertight case.

The disciplinary hearing against de Lille is set to start on Tuesday.

A DA federal executive meeting in January this year resolved that she should face charges for the bringing the party into disrepute.

She joined Karima Brown on The Karima Brown Show, to explain why she feels the process should be made public.

I have said that I am prepared to be subjected to this hearing, I fought for this hearing. They finally decided to charge me. Now in preparation for this meeting we have now asked first of all, the person or persons who made this allegations that I have exercised undue influence over the reappointment of Achmat Ebrahim, must bring forward the text message and they must tell us who did I send that text message to.
— Patricia de Lille, Cape Town Mayor

Refusing to answer to allegations of an SMS sent by her to Mayco member for water Xanthea Limberg, de Lille said a public hearing will allow her an opportunity to respond.

I am not trying to hide, but I also don't want to succumb to doing what they have been doing to me by not allowing me a due process, to say ok I did send it to Xanthea or I did not send it to Xanthea. This is not the hearing, the hearing is going to be open to the public and anybody can come and listen.
— Patricia de Lille, Cape Town Mayor

No one. Not a single person in the DA mentioned Xanthea as you have now. I will not answer to you. I am going to answer to the public and everyone in South Africa, in a properly constituted hearing.
— Patricia de Lille, Cape Town Mayor

Read my full statement regarding the @Our_DA disciplinary hearing due to start this Tuesday, 20 March 2018 pic.twitter.com/2cIiewLnOy
— Patricia de Lille (@PatriciaDeLille) March 18, 2018