Cape Town - Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille is determined to remain the city’s number one citizen after the DA announced her as their mayoral candidate this week.
Party leader Mmusi Maimane said De Lille was chosen by an overwhelming number of votes.
Read: De Lille city’s mayoral candidate
The Daily Voice sat down with the mayor to find out just why she wants to retain her gold chain and what she still needs to do for the people of Cape Town.
On her campaign
A relaxed De Lille said she has a busy schedule ahead as she hits the campaign trail.
She said elections are won way before the voting takes place, which is why she’s not really worried about her re-election at all.
De Lille loves election campaigning, because it gives her the opportunity to speak to “her people”.
“I love the road and meeting new people. I love listening to our people express their concerns, al skel hulle nou vir my (even though they scold me), I can deal with that. It is my job to serve as best I can and I am humbled to be addressed as an equal.”
On the Marius Fransman sex row
“I am horrified that Marius Fransman has not been arrested yet for the allegations of sexual harassment brought against him. Any allegation of this nature should be seen in a serious light. For some reason though, he has not had to answer for anything. He should be afforded the chance to tell his side, but nothing has come of this yet,” De Lille said.
Then she adds with a naughty chuckle: “I don’t believe the ANC should change anything about how they are doing things in the province though, Marius Fransman has been an asset to the DA.”
On #endracism
De Lille reckons the ANC Youth League stole the idea for their #endracism campaign from the DA.
“We were the first to embark on an end racism campaign in this city in 2011 and have made tremendous strides. They now want to copy what we did, just before elections, what we have been doing for five years, shame on you,” she said.
On Marie Van Rensburg
Facebook user Marie van Rensburg called coloured people lazy suiplappe (drunkards), whose women get illegitimate children in order to get welfare grants. Van Rensburg posted the comment in the wake of five young cousins who died while playing in an old freezer in Kakamas in the Northern Cape.
Read: Fury over latest online race attack
“That woman has a nerve. She is saying all coloured women are sluts. She needs to apologise unconditionally for her racist remarks. Any woman would feel insulted, no matter her race or creed. How dare she speak to any mother that way? Sy is onbeskof. (She is rude) If she does not have anything better to do with her time, like building this great nation, she must maar go,” De Lille.
Entrusted
“The people of Cape Town, my people, have entrusted me with their vote.
“I say to them, dankie vir die stem (thank you for the vote). We are going out again and this time I will again ask, leen aan ons u stem (give us your vote).
“Anyone who is not satisfied with the immense strides we have made, is free to take it back, but I am confident that the people of this city know what works for them and will proudly give us their vote again.”
On the Daily Voice
The mayor loves to read the papers and believes tabloids such as the Daily Voice has had a huge impact on how she runs her city.
“The mainstream papers are great for the people who want to read it, but people are addicted to tabloids. They love reading about their neighbours. The (Daily Voice) says it like it is and I have found that the mainstream papers are actually trying to compete with the tabloids.
“Mainstreams are important yes, but the tabloids are an important medium as well. It serves the community.”
De Lille also had a question for the Voice: “How do you come up with your headlines? Everyday I laugh and enjoy the headlines tremendously. That is my favourite thing about the Daily Voice.”
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