Cape Town’s newly elected council is ready to get down to the serious business of running the city – but its first day in office was not entirely trouble-free.
After Patricia de Lille was installed as mayor yesterday, opposition parties immediately promised her a hard time if she failed to consider the needs of the city’s poorer residents.
Several opposition parties took swipes at De Lille during her inaugural speech too.
At one point, speaker Dirk Smit called even the new mayor to order.
Heckling continued throughout, prompting Pan Africanist Congress of Azania councillor Anwar Adams to call on Smit to “take a firmer stance”.
During her address, De Lille spoke of the achievements of her predecessors, Helen Zille and Dan Plato, thanking the pair for “fixing the city”.
To jeers from the ANC caucus, she said that before the DA took over, more than 200 informal settlements were without basic services.
“They found poor people still being charged for services they couldn’t afford. They wrote off R1 billion in debt owed by the poor.
“They found a city with little infrastructure investment or maintenance.”
De Lille said that under Zille and Plato, the city had improved the functioning of the metro police and ensured that tender processes were transparent and fair.
Plato has since been appointed the province’s Community Safety MEC.
De Lille also spoke of her political background.
“Throughout my political career, I have fought for the dignity of the poor,” she said.
This statement was greeted with loud boos from some members, whom Smit called to order while De Lille continued speaking over the jeers.
“Madam mayor, when I say ‘Order’ you must please stop speaking,” Smit warned De Lille.
As the jeers from the ANC caucus continued, Smit also appealed to ANC chief whip Xolani Sotashe.
“Councillor Sotashe, we spoke before this meeting. Please assist me,” he said.
When it was his turn, the ANC’s Tony Ehrenreich, who is now official leader of the opposition in the council, had some criticism for the new mayoral committee.
He said committee members lacked the experience needed for their portfolios.
“That is cadre deployment that will come back to haunt us.”
Ehrenreich charged that the city remained largely unequal, with the bulk of services providing for the wealthy.
“It is easier to get Botox than basic reproductive health services,” he remarked, to some applause.
The ANC would not support the budget next week if it did not reflect the DA’s election promises, Ehrenreich said.
In his speech, Sotashe expressed doubt about how much of a say De Lille would have in the running of the city.
“Once again, the deputy mayor (Ian Neilson) will be mayor of Cape Town, now he has even more powers… the mayor is left only with the power of the distribution of food parcels.”
After being sworn in, Neilson faced chants of “mayor” from the ANC caucus.
Sotashe said the party would not support an “anti-poor budget”.
Wasfie Hassiem, of the Africa Muslim Party, had a stern message for De Lille.
“If you have taken the post to support the under-poverished, we will support you,” he told her.
“If not, we will fight you all the way out of the office.”
Anwar Adams, from the PAC, delivered a scathing attack on De Lille.
“You found your feet in the PAC then you founded your own party and joined the master class of oppression.
“Jumping from one ideology to the next does not bode well for the mayoral office.”
Adams said that he hoped De Lille would not become known as “Patricia de Zille”.
Achmat Williams, from the National Party SA, said his party would “hold the DA to ransom” to deliver on the promises it made during its election campaign.
Councillors erupted in laughter when Cape Muslim Congress member Yagyah Adams said De Lille would make an “excellent mayor” like her predecessor Zille.
“But Zille was the Madiba of the DA.
“I think Patricia de Lille must rather focus on being the Thabo Mbeki of the DA, not the Jacob Zuma.”
DA chief whip Anthea Serritslev said the next few weeks would be spent forming the portfolio committees.
This was a priority before the council recess at the end of this month.
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