EDITORIAL: DA vs De Lille: the hypocrisy
The DA’s handling of the Patricia de Lille matter is a textbook example of hypocrisy by those in power
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. The DA needs to internalise this old saying. The party has, in its various guises during and after apartheid, made "due process" a major pillar of its demands from the opposition benches. But its handling of the Patricia de Lille matter is a textbook example of hypocrisy by those in power.This week the DA summarily terminated De Lille’s membership, automatically ending her tenure as a Cape Town city councillor and as mayor. This drastic step, based on remarks she made last month in an interview on Talk Radio 702, circumvents the due process that would have allowed De Lille an opportunity to defend herself. It follows the party’s failure to pass a motion of no confidence in her in the council chamber earlier this year, and the DA’s adoption of a special constitutional clause that compels its public representatives to vacate office within 24 hours of a vote of no confidence being passed against them.By refusing to take De Lille t...
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