Cape Town - A City council meeting has been delayed after it descended into chaos following allegations against Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille.
From the start, the meeting was tense, but the chaos reached alarming levels when ANC opposition leader Xolani Sotashe pointed to some DA councillors who had turned their back on De Lille while she was delivering her address to council.
“Look at this nonsense. How can they be so disrespectful to the mayor, while the mayor is speaking. This is absolutely nonsense,” Sotashe said.
De Lille did not react to the councillors who turned their backs towards her, among them Grant Twigg, DA metro chairperson, and councillors Malusi Booi and Angus Mckenzie, who had his back half-turned to De Lille.
Charlotte Williams, ACDP-councillor, said in her 22 years in council, she had never seen such disrespect shown towards a sitting mayor.
“This is totally unacceptable. We know there are tensions within the DA, but this should be playing out here. We are here to serve our people make decisions in their interest. This is the utmost disrespect I have ever seen for a mayor,” she said.
The high point of the meeting was when council Speaker Dirk Smit adjourned the meeting after shouting at Sotashe.
The parties disagreed over the handling of a complaint concerning De Lille.
De Lille is being investigated after the DA lodged a complaint against her for signing memorandum agreements with various communities who need land for housing and basic services like electricity.
De Lille said: “I have had six meetings with the leaderships of various communities. To win the trust of the community, and to prevent that they run in protest to the N2, I go there and agree to deliver services. And the communities are not stupid, they want papers and want to know of budgets,” De Lille said.
Smit said he was investigating the matter.
Shortly after the meeting De Lille tweeted: About the councillors who turned their backs while I was delivering the Mayoral address in Council..... pic.twitter.com/ek3V2poKRu
— Patricia de Lille (@PatriciaDeLille) May 31, 2018
@JasonFelix