Cape Town - The ANC is not giving up on challenging a two-year-old decision by the City of Cape Town to rebrand itself and introduce a new corporate logo.
ANC caucus leader in the city Xolani Sotashe said on Tuesday the party’s legal team was preparing to approach the Supreme Court of Appeal, after losing its appeal with costs in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
“We are fighting on. We are heading to Bloemfontein to appeal. We strongly believe we have a case. Even if we lose, we will take this to the Constitutional Court,” he said.
Mayor Patricia de Lille said on Tuesday the city had been vindicated by the court ruling.
“They tried relentlessly to make it a debate about shapes and colours because they do not understand the concept of having a progressive vision for this city. This was evident during the elections and the court ruling proved this lack of vision once more.”
A storm erupted over the decision in February 2014, when the ANC accused the city of being “arrogant” and going over the heads of residents in adopting the logo. The ANC approached the Western Cape High Court in August last year to declare the council resolution on the city’s rebranding, invalid. It lost the case two months later and applied for leave to appeal the ruling. Sotashe said the party was still of the view that the DA-led city was taking ratepayers for granted.
“We are not going to let this go. If we don’t challenge them it means that communities don’t have a say in terms of the decisions taken in council,” he said.
“We have to fight for the rights of the people. If we don’t, those who have the power and resources will do as they wish and no one will challenge them.”
At the time the city said the associated costs of the logo had been exaggerated and would amount to R313 720.
De Lille said the city would now pursue payment for the cost of the court case from Luthuli House.
Cape Argus