DA benches Patricia de Lille and councillor JP Smith over spat
The Cape Town mayor and the councillor have been put on special leave, barring them from party activities, but their government work is not affected by the move
Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille and councillor JP Smith have been placed on special leave after a spat broke out between them. “DA leader Mmusi Maimane called both De Lille and Smith to account for their actions at a meeting held last night‚” DA spokeswoman Phumzile van Damme said in a statement. “Following that meeting‚ Maimane has placed De Lille and Smith on special leave from DA activities in the Cape Town Metro until such time as a DA federal executive investigation can be concluded.” The federal executive investigation, run by a special subcommittee chaired by John Steenhuisen, would begin hearings on Tuesday, Van Damme said. In a statement issued on Monday‚ De Lille said she had asked her lawyers about the “appropriate course of action” to take, after Smith and members of the city’s Internal Investigations Unit allegedly made “malicious and defamatory remarks” about her. The DA said on Tuesday that their being placed on special leave affected only work for the party, not fo...
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