LEGAL OPINION
DA hands are tied if it tries to curtail De Lille’s power
It is not possible that the deputy mayor assume the role suggested to the caucus by DA leader Maimane
A recommendation by DA leader Mmusi Maimane that Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille be stripped of some of her powers cannot be sustained as it goes against legislative prescripts and council resolutions, according to a legal opinion drawn up by metro’s legal services team. De Lille sought the opinion after Maimane shifted the council’s response to the drought from her office to her deputy, Ian Neilson, and mayoral committee member responsible for water Xanthea Limberg, arguing that since the mayor was involved in disciplinary hearings, she would not be able to give crucial water projects all her attention. De Lille was hauled before the party’s federal disciplinary committee on a number of charges including maladministration and ignoring misconduct and tender irregularities. She was, however, allowed to remain in her position as mayor pending the outcome of the disciplinary processes. According to the council legal services team, section 56 of the Local Government: Municipal Structu...
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