Cape Town – Even though she will be stepping down as mayor at the end of the month, the 67-year-old Patricia de Lille says retirement is the last thing on her mind.
She has also highlighted the irony that the person who she had replaced as mayor seven years ago, Dan Plato, will be taking over the reins from her. Moreover, he will be inheriting a city in a far better position than when he left.
De Lille told News24 that she will give Plato the "benefit of the doubt" for now, with his safety and security experience as MEC expected to be an asset at a time when gang violence has escalated.
"He will be inheriting a city which is well run. The irony is that when I came here, I replaced him. And now he is coming back. We (have) had meetings (to make the transition as smooth as possible and) we’re working well together."
The city’s longest-serving mayor said her replacement "does come with experience". He replaced Helen Zille as mayor in 2009 when she became Western Cape premier.
"He also comes with a safety and security (background as the current MEC). Safety is a major concern for me. I have lived in Cape Town all my life, but the gang violence and the drug abuse has never been as bad as it is now. Never," she said.
"It’s time for local, provincial and national government to go back to the drawing board because somewhere, in terms of reacting to crime, we failed. We must just acknowledge that. Dan comes with experience around crime issues, so I am sure he will be able to make some valuable contributions."
With less than two weeks until her tenure comes to an end, De Lille admitted she had not yet made any decisions regarding her future.
"I am not ready to retire now, no, not at all. I still need to keep busy. I think people who retire so early just go and sit and die at home…
"I will take off a week or two after November 1. I told my family I will then discuss the next phase of my life with them."