DA tables a Motion of No Confidence against Mayor Patricia de Lille

The Federal Executive of the Democratic Alliance has authorized the DA caucus in the City of Cape Town to lodge a motion of no confidence in Mayor Patricia de Lille.

This is due to a number of reasons which have led to this unprecedented move:

  • For the first time in Cape Town’s history, a Council-mandated independent investigation took the view that the sitting Mayor had demonstrated behaviour and actions which constituted gross misconduct, gross dereliction of duty, and conduct that amounted to deceiving Council. This was on the basis of extensive prima facie evidence before the Council which included the Mayor’s own representations;
  • These prima facie findings have been supported by the fact that the Auditor-General has downgraded the City’s audit status from clean, to unqualified with conditions. This is untenable for a DA government to see a deterioration in its audit status, especially when such a regression is the direct result of the conduct of the Mayor herself. This is wholly unacceptable and is not in line with the DA’s commitment to clean, open and accountable governance.

Audit findings:

In the AG’s assessment these significant findings involve failures of leadership at the first level of assurance, which includes the Executive Mayor, and the subsequent governance breakdown that flows from that. In this regard it is important to note the following:

  • That the vast majority of financial findings relate to the Transport and Urban Development Authority (TDA) which the Mayor has routinely and very publicly defended;
  • That the AG found regression within the control environment as a result of poor leadership.
    • This can be applied to the Executive Mayor as follows:
      • Poor consequence management of senior managers, namely the Commissioner: TDA, in the execution of her duties as Mayor;
      • Poor leadership and degeneration of trust. This finding by the AG directly correlates to the Executive Mayor’s failure to allow officials to do their jobs and follow the control procedures of the law and regulations, as confirmed in the testimony of the former City Manager in the independent investigation mandated by Council;
      • Consistent loss of revenue within the TDA, which was allowed to continue systematically for years despite the AG alerting the City to this risk multiple times.  It is worth noting that the Mayor has consistently denied this fact and has given credence to the explanation of the Commissioner TDA, who has in fact been suspended and the subject of a disciplinary; and
      • Irregular expenditure, namely the preferential bias in favour of a supplier in the matter of the procurement of the BYD buses. This has been determined to be irregular by the AG and now constitutes a realized and dramatic risk to the City.
  • Noting that the Mayor has made public statements that the AG had vindicated her on upgrades to her home. However, the AG in the disclosure and listing of irregular expenditure in the financial statements has in fact found that these upgrades were irregular- exposing previous claims by the Mayor as blatantly false. It is simply intolerable for a sitting Mayor to mislead her party and more importantly the people of Cape Town in such a deliberate and inexcusable fashion.
  • Noting, the sudden resignation of the former City Manager, Achmat Ebrahim, the suspension of the Commissioner: TDA and the subsequent leadership breakdown which has taken place under the Mayor.

Drought crisis management:

The Mayor has also been removed from directing the City’s response to the current prolonged drought. Her failure to manage this correctly and to communicate accurate information has played a material role in the current public panic and negatively impeded the City’s response to the current crisis.

She actively withheld information, misdirected officials, delayed budget decisions, interfered with project plans and undermined the rollout of augmentation projects as a result. Furthermore, she failed to push national government to fulfill its legal responsibilities – at the cost and risk to the residents of Cape Town. This is in of itself has posed a massive governance risk.

Federal Executive decision:

The ANC in the Cape Town council has tabled a motion of no confidence against the Mayor which is due for debate today.

The FedEx has thus authorized the caucus – which has already expressed its lack of confidence in the Mayor by a way of a caucus vote – the right to support the ANC’s motion. While this is an unprecedented move, the ANC correctly in its motion details many, but not all, of the maladministration that the Mayor is responsible for.

The FedEx has taken this step on the basis that the caucus, and the Party has too lost faith in her leadership. It is therefore in the best interests of the people of Cape Town and good governance – given the threat that Patricia de Lille poses to both – that we have no choice but to remove her as the Mayor.

This is a demonstration of the fact that we are able to rise above narrow party-political interests and to serve the democratic project in South Africa.

We have previously appealed to the ANC to support motions of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma due the very obvious damage he has to South Africa and his leading role in state capture and corruption. It is for similar reasons that the FedEx has authorised the caucus to vote for a motion to remove Patricia de Lille. We reached this point due to the untenable and destructive role played by the Mayor.

Patricia de Lille has played an important role in South Africa’s democratic history. It is truly saddening that her conduct has forced us to act to remove her. However, no matter someone’s history or popularity, we have a greater obligation to protecting the principles of good governance and ensuring effective delivery to all, especially the people of Cape Town.

BOKAMOSO | Values only count when they are tested

The wellbeing of Cape Town residents matters a great deal to the DA, and I want to assure South Africans that we are dealing with concerns surrounding Mayor Patricia De Lille’s leadership as swiftly and fairly as possible. We want to achieve the outcome that is best for the people of Cape Town and we remain committed to clean, accountable government. We are extremely mindful of the need to respond effectively and decisively to the Cape drought.
Our values as a party only really count when they are put to the test. Values are easy when everyone agrees and when they are easily applied. But they are hard when the party faces a painful test. Despite the difficulty, the DA will remain true to its values, come what may.
The laziest analysis in this regard comes from those who claim the DA is no different to the ANC now that we’ve also had a big, public scandal. The differences should be plain to all.
The ANC has (over and above all its other sins) consistently acted to ignore the corruption that is putrefying it from the inside, protecting the guilty and sweeping evidence and information under the carpet. This has resulted in a party that is literally split down the middle, and a state that is captured by private rent seekers.
This is precisely the opposite of what is happening in Cape Town. We are throwing open the doors and windows to shine light on the situation in the City, because we want to act speedily and forcefully to stop dangerous trends before they gather a momentum of their own. Far from protecting the implicated, we have demonstrated that no one in the DA is ‘untouchable’, and that all are equally accountable to the party and to the law. We genuinely believe that ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’, not just as a slogan, but as a value.
The public looks to the DA as a model of clean, accountable government that will act firmly against corruption, uphold equality before the law, and deliver better services than any other government in South Africa. We will not betray their trust, even if that means taking very difficult and painful action against our own colleagues. We hold the ANC to a high standard – and we have been relentless in doing so. We must therefore hold ourselves to the same standard, if not an even higher one.
The DA leadership first became aware of problems in the City’s DA caucus in August 2017, when serious allegations of poor leadership, maladministration and governance failures were levelled against De Lille and other senior councillors.
We responded by initiating an internal investigation into political tensions, headed by John Steenhuisen; and by ensuring that the City instituted an independent, external investigation by legal firm Bowman Gilfillan.
The first internal investigation concluded that while De Lille is extremely hard-working, a great many DA councillors, City staff and colleagues find her leadership style to be obstructive to the successful functioning of both the City administration and the DA caucus, undermining service delivery in Cape Town. A number of specific, serious allegations were made against her, and the Mayor was given extended time to reply to these in full
The Bowman Gilfillan report concluded that De Lille behaved and acted in a manner that constitutes gross misconduct and dereliction of duty, including her apparent role in actively covering up serious governance failures.
Last Sunday, 14 January, the DA’s Federal Executive (our highest decision-making body) considered the findings of both reports and took a decision to formally charge De Lille.
Unfortunately, this decision will draw out the process of achieving resolution. But as a DA public representative who has made a huge positive contribution to the DA and SA, we must give Mayor De Lille further opportunity to fully respond to all allegations leveled against her, which are detailed in my statement released after the meeting.
I do not doubt Ms De Lille’s commitment to the greater good. She has played a central, positive role in both SA and the DA.  She is much loved within and beyond the DA. She deserves, and will forever have, our respect and gratitude. But central as she has been to the DA and SA’s fortunes, no one is above the party and its constitution, and no individual’s interests are above those of the general public.
It has been painful to learn of the dysfunction and resentment that has built up against her in the Cape Town City council. This is the very worst possible time for a problem such as this to arise, in the midst of a major drought crisis and ahead of the 2019 national election. But for the sake of Capetonians and South Africans, the DA is fully prepared to take the necessary action to restore order and functionality to Cape Town Council’s DA caucus.
The DA owes its loyalty, above all else, to the voters. Their interests must, do, and always will come first.
Some commentators in the media and on social media feel the DA should not be involved in a dispute over De Lille while there is a drought crisis. But the DA cannot ignore serious allegations for this reason. The drought could drag on for years. The people of Cape Town need a council that runs efficiently and effectively, even more so because of this crisis.
The true measure of a political party is how it responds to challenges such as this. The DA cannot exercise complete control over how public representatives conduct themselves. No political party can. But we can respond by putting the public interest ahead of party interests and this is what we will do.

BOKAMOSO | Values only count when they are tested

The wellbeing of Cape Town residents matters a great deal to the DA, and I want to assure South Africans that we are dealing with concerns surrounding Mayor Patricia De Lille’s leadership as swiftly and fairly as possible. We want to achieve the outcome that is best for the people of Cape Town and we remain committed to clean, accountable government. We are extremely mindful of the need to respond effectively and decisively to the Cape drought.

Our values as a party only really count when they are put to the test. Values are easy when everyone agrees and when they are easily applied. But they are hard when the party faces a painful test. Despite the difficulty, the DA will remain true to its values, come what may.

The laziest analysis in this regard comes from those who claim the DA is no different to the ANC now that we’ve also had a big, public scandal. The differences should be plain to all.

The ANC has (over and above all its other sins) consistently acted to ignore the corruption that is putrefying it from the inside, protecting the guilty and sweeping evidence and information under the carpet. This has resulted in a party that is literally split down the middle, and a state that is captured by private rent seekers.

This is precisely the opposite of what is happening in Cape Town. We are throwing open the doors and windows to shine light on the situation in the City, because we want to act speedily and forcefully to stop dangerous trends before they gather a momentum of their own. Far from protecting the implicated, we have demonstrated that no one in the DA is ‘untouchable’, and that all are equally accountable to the party and to the law. We genuinely believe that ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’, not just as a slogan, but as a value.

The public looks to the DA as a model of clean, accountable government that will act firmly against corruption, uphold equality before the law, and deliver better services than any other government in South Africa. We will not betray their trust, even if that means taking very difficult and painful action against our own colleagues. We hold the ANC to a high standard – and we have been relentless in doing so. We must therefore hold ourselves to the same standard, if not an even higher one.

The DA leadership first became aware of problems in the City’s DA caucus in August 2017, when serious allegations of poor leadership, maladministration and governance failures were levelled against De Lille and other senior councillors.

We responded by initiating an internal investigation into political tensions, headed by John Steenhuisen; and by ensuring that the City instituted an independent, external investigation by legal firm Bowman Gilfillan.

The first internal investigation concluded that while De Lille is extremely hard-working, a great many DA councillors, City staff and colleagues find her leadership style to be obstructive to the successful functioning of both the City administration and the DA caucus, undermining service delivery in Cape Town. A number of specific, serious allegations were made against her, and the Mayor was given extended time to reply to these in full

The Bowman Gilfillan report concluded that De Lille behaved and acted in a manner that constitutes gross misconduct and dereliction of duty, including her apparent role in actively covering up serious governance failures.

Last Sunday, 14 January, the DA’s Federal Executive (our highest decision-making body) considered the findings of both reports and took a decision to formally charge De Lille.

Unfortunately, this decision will draw out the process of achieving resolution. But as a DA public representative who has made a huge positive contribution to the DA and SA, we must give Mayor De Lille further opportunity to fully respond to all allegations leveled against her, which are detailed in my statement released after the meeting.

I do not doubt Ms De Lille’s commitment to the greater good. She has played a central, positive role in both SA and the DA.  She is much loved within and beyond the DA. She deserves, and will forever have, our respect and gratitude. But central as she has been to the DA and SA’s fortunes, no one is above the party and its constitution, and no individual’s interests are above those of the general public.

It has been painful to learn of the dysfunction and resentment that has built up against her in the Cape Town City council. This is the very worst possible time for a problem such as this to arise, in the midst of a major drought crisis and ahead of the 2019 national election. But for the sake of Capetonians and South Africans, the DA is fully prepared to take the necessary action to restore order and functionality to Cape Town Council’s DA caucus.

The DA owes its loyalty, above all else, to the voters. Their interests must, do, and always will come first.

Some commentators in the media and on social media feel the DA should not be involved in a dispute over De Lille while there is a drought crisis. But the DA cannot ignore serious allegations for this reason. The drought could drag on for years. The people of Cape Town need a council that runs efficiently and effectively, even more so because of this crisis.

The true measure of a political party is how it responds to challenges such as this. The DA cannot exercise complete control over how public representatives conduct themselves. No political party can. But we can respond by putting the public interest ahead of party interests and this is what we will do.

DA Federal Executive resolves to formally charge de Lille in the interest of good governance

Today the Federal Executive of the Democratic Alliance met to deliberate on matters relating to the Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille.

In its deliberations, the Federal Executive was guided by the best interests of all the people of Cape Town and by our deep and abiding commitment to delivering clean, accountable and transparent government wherever we may govern. It is the value of the organisation that all South Africans are equal before the law and that all rights must be upheld, regardless of race and gender. The deliberations occurred in the context of an unprecedented drought and the need to deal with its consequences as comprehensively and decisively as possible.

The true test of any political party is what it does when confronted with serious allegations of political dysfunction, maladministration and governance failures. And the DA, unlike many of our political competitors, stands largely alone in acting with resolve in confronting such matters, even when those decisions may carry a possible political cost. We understand that no political party is perfect in the execution of its functions, but for us, our principles and values, and the overarching imperative to act in the best interests of the citizens is what guides us at times like these.

It is also for this reason that the DA has sought to uphold due process and the rights of Mayor de Lille and a number of councillors throughout this evolving matter. We have as a result sought to limit our public communication out of respect to the rights of all involved and the issues concerned. This has created some sense of public confusion as to the reasons why a number of decisions and actions have been taken with regards to Mayor de Lille.

It is disappointing that Mayor de Lille has not displayed a similar regard for the best interests of the Party, or indeed a similar level of respect for due process, as evidenced by her making a number of misleading and often distortionary public statements throughout this process; both with regard to DA procedures, as well as to a variety of Council initiatives that have sought to probe her conduct, amongst other matters. In so doing she has compounded an already difficult situation and the party was thereby brought into disrepute.

Let us be clear that we reject, with absolute contempt, any claims that the concerns arising from the conduct of Mayor De Lille relate in any way to a disagreement over the need for spatial transformation in Cape Town. This was a key manifesto commitment of the DA in the local government elections of 2016 and thus it is a mandate of the Party, and not the preserve of any one individual, as some have falsely claimed, including Mayor de Lille.

The Federal Executive mandated John Steenhuisen to lead a sub-committee to investigate and report back on the evident tensions and divisions within the caucus. The sub-committee also included Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, Free State Provincial Leader, Patricia Kopane and ADAC Chair Karen Smith. All leaders within the DA with significant experience and sufficient distance from the internal dynamics of the Cape Town caucus.

The aim of the process was to inquire into the growing divisions in the City of Cape Town DA caucus under the leadership of Mayor de Lille, as well as a growing list of substantive complaints about the nature and style of the Mayor’s internal leadership. This was a process of exercising political judgment, in response to political problems and issues, rather than seeking to approach the matter as though it were a narrow legal question or issue.

The sub-committee held many days of hearings and heard testimony from a large number of councillors. The Mayor was invited to appear before the sub-committee. She declined the invitation, and instead, as was her right, chose to communicate to the sub-committee through her legal representatives. She was given a lengthy extension to do so, in order to ensure that her procedural rights were respected.

The report of the sub-committee, together with Mayor de Lille’s representations, were considered at length by the Federal Executive at a meeting on 10 December.

The sub-committee made a number of observations that now need to be tested by the FLC. Amongst a number of issues arising, the Federal Executive deliberated on the following aspects:

  • Evidence of deep divisions within the caucus of the City of Cape Town. These divisions were shown to have been a result of the Mayor’s particular leadership style which is overwhelmingly viewed as unnecessarily autocratic, divisive and misaligned to democratic principles of openness and tolerance. It became clear that this had contributed to creating a paralysing culture of fear among both elected public representatives, as well as officials in the City of Cape Town. The consequence of which was a material impact on rational, accountable and transparent decision making in the City.
  • The organisational restructuring led by the Mayor appears to have been used in certain instances to remove experienced officials in the City, with a view to replacing them with officials whose loyalty to the Mayor was prized over all else.
  • Under the Mayor’s leadership key decision making structures had been stripped of powers and functions, seemingly with a view to centralise overwhelming power in the Mayor, undercutting the authority and democratically enshrined role of the Mayoral committee, portfolio committees and sub-councils, as well as the DA’s commitment to bringing government as close to the people as possible.
  • It appears that the Mayor interfered with and manipulated appointments at a senior management level within the City and some of its entities.
  • A growing sense of a loss of confidence by the caucus in the leadership of the Mayor which affected governance in the City negatively and undermined effective service delivery.
  • In particular, the Mayor’s often irrational, autocratic and divisive leadership style was seen as especially problematic, and it was claimed saw her often overstep the boundaries of her authority and personally direct operational decisions such as the specification, awarding and timing of tenders, in an ad-hoc and highly inappropriate fashion.
  • This, in turn, had created the real risk of an impending loss of senior and skilled technical staff from the organisation, as a result of often intolerable working conditions for professionally qualified and legally mandated officials.
  • The claims made in a Protected Disclosure by Craig Kesson, the Executive Director in the Directorate of the Mayor, as it related to allegations of maladministration and serious governance irregularities, and the Mayor’s alleged role therein.

After careful consideration of these primary points of concern, the Federal Executive at the time asked the Mayor to provide reasons as to why she should not resign.  The need to act with dispatch was heightened by the prolonged drought and our desire to ensure that there was unity of purpose within both the political and administrative leadership of the City to effectively govern Cape Town and respond to this issue.

The Mayor was again afforded a lengthy extension so as to be given sufficient time to make her representations to the Federal Executive on why she should not resign. This submission, as well as the Mayor’s oral representations to the Federal Executive, have today, been further carefully considered, debated and discussed.

In its deliberations, the Federal Executive could not ignore the fact that for the first time in Cape Town’s history, a Council-mandated independent investigation took the view that the sitting Mayor had demonstrated behavior and actions which, on the basis of extensive evidence before them (including the Mayor’s own representations), prima facie constituted gross misconduct, gross dereliction of duty, and conduct that amounted to deceiving Council.

These concerns relate to a range of extremely serious governance failures, including the MyCiti Bus service and the foreshore development projects, and her apparent role in actively covering up these failures. Her alleged improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, actively obstructing remedial and disciplinary action being taken for losses from the MyCiti system which at this stage are conservatively estimated at R36 million but could be far greater due to inherent problems with City systems and data preventing precise reconciliations while the Foreshore Freeway Project is potentially worth billions of rands.

It is further particularly disturbing that the Mayor sought to personally target the officials who originally bought these allegations to the fore and tried to prevent an independent investigation from occurring. She personally authorised multiple reports against Kesson at the Special Council meeting of 21 November that aimed to prevent the investigation into the City Manager and TDA Commissioner Melissa Whitehead. Those recommendations have her signature and her approval of the Council agenda. The Mayor’s desires were overturned because the DA caucus (not the Mayor) called for an independent investigation.

The Mayor has at all times sought to defend not only her conduct but also that of the City Manager and the Commissioner for TDA, Melissa Whitehead. This despite the fact that these officials are currently the subject of a Council approved disciplinary and suspension processes.

Whilst these processes must run their fullest course, the Mayor, as she herself has avowed, must take ultimate political responsibility for these profoundly serious allegations which have happened under her watch, and in many instances with her active participation. And in this regard, it is noteworthy that the City Manager has independently claimed, as reported in the media, that the Mayor has prevented the proper conduct of Council business.

Whilst there is indeed more work for the investigators to undertake, as it relates to pursuing additional information and leads, and that the disciplinary processes into the officials concerned must be allowed to run their full course, it remains deeply problematic that only certain sections of the report were made public.

This is despite the fact that the entire caucus voted for the adoption of the recommendations and that the report had a confidential status.

As a consequence of these governance failures, the Auditor-General has twice been forced to delay issuing the City’s final audit status – these are massive and novel risks for Cape Town.

Finally, the Mayor ill-advisedly in her public communication has sought to prosecute a false and disingenuous narrative as to the motives of the Federal Executive in pursuing this course of action. This is deeply regrettable as it has misled the public and masked the very serious concerns as they relate to her leadership and effective governance of the City.

The DA is determined that we do everything possible to bring unity of purpose and cohesion to the City of Cape Town. To build on the successes that have previously been achieved, and most importantly, in the current context do everything we can to manage the current water shortages, in collaboration with provincial and national government, who share the responsibility of ensuring that everything humanly possible is done to ensure that Cape Town does not run out of water. This must and will be the most pressing priority of the administration of Cape Town and thus it is essential that we act swiftly.

The Federal Executive has thus resolved that the Mayor be formally charged and investigated by the Party’s Federal Legal Commission. The charges that will be brought against her are the following:

That she is guilty of alleged misconduct in terms of the following sections of the Federal Constitution:

2.5.4.2 deliberately acts in a way which impacts negatively on the image or performance of the Party;

2.5.4.4 fails to carry out his or her duties and/or responsibilities according to standards set by the Federal Council of the Party or of the relevant Provincial or Regional Council, or to standards required by any statutory rules of conduct required by the public office he or she holds;

2.5.4.5 brings the good name of the Party into disrepute or harms the interests of the Party;

2.5.4.6 acts in a manner that is unreasonable and detrimental to internal co-operation within the Party;

2.5.4.7 unreasonably fails to comply with or rejects decisions of the official formations of the Party;

IN THAT SHE:

  • acted in an improper and unlawful manner in respect of the reappointment of the City Manager of the City of Cape Town by unduly influencing members of the Selection Panel responsible for the scoring of those candidates shortlisted and interviewed by sending members/a member of the Panel a text message reading “I want to keep Achmat  so score him highest. Thanks.”
  • acted in an improper and unlawful manner in respect of the appointment of Limia Essop to the Stadium Management Board by inter alia exercising her authority to finalise the shortlist of candidates to be interviewed in such a manner as to unduly benefit Ms Essop and consequently in an improper manner involving herself with the finalisation of selection and appointment of members of the Board ostensibly to ensure the appointment of Ms Essop.
  • acted in an improper manner, alternatively failed to exercise her duties as Executive Mayor while displaying sound judgment by failing and/or refusing to ensure that the performance of the incumbent Commissioner for the Transport Development Authority of the City of Cape Town, Ms Melissa Whitehead, and more specifically allegations of poor performance be properly investigated and taken into account before the appointment process that lead to the reappointment of Ms Whitehead.
  • failed to perform her duties and/or responsibilities according to the Finance Management Act and the Municipal Systems Act in that she failed and/or refused to report and properly account to the Council of the City of Cape Town regarding irregularities and financial losses reported to her in respect of the contract the City entered into regarding the operation of the MyCity bus project.
  • failed to perform her duties and/or responsibilities according to standards set by the Federal Council of the Party and/or the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Municipal Systems Act in that she failed and/or refused to report and properly account to the Council of the City of Cape Town regarding irregularities with the Bid Evaluation process in respect of the so-called Foreshore Housing Project.
  • failed to perform her duties and/or responsibilities according to standards set by the Federal Council of the Party and/or the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Municipal Systems Act in that she failed and/or refused to take all reasonable remedial and corrective steps to ensure that the City of Cape Town performed its constitutional and statutory functions by refusing and/or failing to act in a reasonable and/or proper manner in respect of the financial losses incurred through the contract in respect of the Myciti bus project, as well as the     Volvo Chassis matter.
  • acted in an improper and/or abusive manner in providing leadership to the Caucus of the Party in the City of Cape Town by, through her words and actions, intimidating and belittling caucus members who did not agree with her.
  • refused to accept an official decision of the Party by informing the Caucus of the City of Cape Town, upon the election of Ald JP Smith as deputy leader of the Caucus, that she refused to work with him.

We have determined that the FLC conclude their investigations expeditiously so that this matter can be brought to a resolution as soon as reasonably possible, whilst at all times respecting procedural fairness and the dictates of natural justice.

The FLC will also look into the charges laid by the Mayor against some of the councillors.

We are however acutely mindful as stated throughout of the need to ensure stable and effective governance in the City of Cape Town, and that there is as little distraction as possible from the government serving all the people of Cape Town, whilst these formal processes are allowed to run their course.

We will thus recommend to the Caucus that they formally bring a resolution to Council that removes the Mayor from any role in managing and directing the City’s response to the prolonged drought during the period of these investigations. Instead, Deputy Mayor, Ian Neilsen, and the Mayoral Committee member for Water, Informal Settlements and Waste Services, Councillor Xanthea Limberg will assume overall political leadership and control of the City’s response plan. They will be asked, in particular, to actively engage with the Western Cape Provincial Government and the national government to ensure that they too play their mandated role in contributing to solutions to the crisis, both operationally and financially. They will also be requested to present, with far greater clarity, the City’s proactive measures to manage the effects of the drought, the need to reduce demand further and the prerequisite to source additional funding for revenue losses and to fund augmentation through the use of tariffs and related charges.

In addition, the Caucus will be requested to ensure the Council resolves that the operational response plan be lead and directed by the Executive Director of Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services, along with the relevant officials with the delegated authority to manage and determine water restriction levels and water management related matters.

Further, the Caucus of the City of Cape Town will be asked to review the delegations in the City, to restore the proper decision-making authority and functioning of the Mayoral committee, Council committees and sub-councils. That the organisational restructuring is reviewed is looked at so that changes so required to ensure governance that makes progress possible for all residents.

We simply have no time to waste, and are confident that with these measures in place that governance in the interim will be stabilised in the City of Cape Town, and that we have the best chance possible to avoid day zero.

BOKAMOSO | 2018: The road ahead

Happy 2018! I hope the festive season was fun and restful, and that you are starting the year with batteries recharged and ready to tackle the challenges of 2018. The road ahead is by no means laid out; we have to chart it and build it. So I’d like to start the year by suggesting something of a roadmap.
In December, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as President of the ANC. I congratulate him and wish him well. We have to build a capable state in a South Africa that works for all. He was undoubtedly the better candidate. But we must not be lulled into a false sense of security by his promises of great reform. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The ANC remains a deeply divided, ideologically confused, undemocratic and corrupt organisation and it is far from clear that Ramaphosa will be able to undertake the critical reforms SA needs if we are to turn our economy around and start improving life in SA. Time will tell, and we will be watching closely.
Ramaphosa’s election may turn out to be the powder coating that fools South Africans into hanging onto their liberation movement long after it has outworn its usefulness. And that would simply set our nation back even further. So this is no time for us South Africans to drop our guard. We must be united and relentless in demanding the following key steps, each of which is absolutely non-negotiable.
With extraordinary urgency, Zuma must be removed and the structure he has built around him to enable state capture dismantled. That means appointing competent, independent individuals to head up the NPA, SAPS, SARS and the departments of Finance, Public Enterprises, Mineral Resources and State Security.
And then if nothing else, three crucial areas of policy reform have got to be tackled urgently.
First, South Africa needs SOE reform to stop the cash haemorrhage. This means putting capable, independent individuals in charge, focusing on strategic companies and selling or closing non-strategic ones. Eskom in particular requires urgent intervention to ensure a continuous supply of power at prices that enable our economy to compete effectively.
Second, we need a much more flexible regulatory regime for small and medium businesses, to unlock their massive job creation potential. Our unemployment rate of 36% is completely unnatural, and is the direct result of labour and other legislation that excludes new entrants and deters new job creation. Opening jobs and opportunities to young people must be a top priority.
Third, we have to insist that the needs of schoolchildren are placed ahead of the demands of SADTU. Right now, 4 out of 5 nine year olds cannot read with meaning in any language, setting them up for disaster at every further stage in life. This is a tragedy and a crisis and we owe it to all South Africa’s children to make this a central electoral issue.
Finally, we should expect that corruption is tackled in every sphere of government and past acts of corruption are aired and punished. This includes but is by no means limited to the inquiry into state capture.
Failure to act on any of these fronts should constitute a serious red flag, pointing to a government unable or unwilling to deliver on the pressing needs of ordinary South Africans, 55% of whom still live in poverty. We must judge Ramaphosa’s team on this scorecard, and make it clear we are doing so.
The DA will work hard this year to fight for these and other such reforms. We will continue seeking to unite South Africans on these issues, and around shared values of Constitutionalism, non-racialism, job-creating economic growth, zero tolerance of corruption, and a capable state.
Our role is to fight for the outsiders – the poor and marginalized and the young, who are locked out of the economy and unable to access the opportunities they need to get ahead in life. Our mission is to offer South Africa a compelling alternative: a new beginning beyond the hegemony of SA’s aging liberation movement. We aspire to a South Africa that is free, fair and filled with opportunity; a modern and forward looking country that is globally integrated and prosperous.
In government, the DA’s crucial focus will be on bringing jobs and opportunities – especially to young people. We will continue our strong drive to improve educational outcomes, which has once again placed the Western Cape top in the country in terms of the “real matric pass rate”, which takes retention rates into account.  We retained 64% of learners in the system between Grade 10 and the NSC exam, which is 22 percentage points higher than the Free State, which had the lowest retention rate in the country. And yet still, 83% of Western Cape learners passed the 2017 NSC exam.
The DA is facing two significant governing challenges right now: the Western Cape drought, and the allegations surrounding Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille. In both of these, please be assured we are acting according to our values.
In the De Lille matter, we will hold ourselves to the same standard that we hold the ANC. We do not tolerate cutting legal corners or playing fast and loose with the law. We have followed due process and insisted that our Councillors in Cape Town institute an independent investigation by Bowman Gilfillan. That report, along with another DA internal report, has found cause for serious concern in Cape Town. Cape Town is the jewel in the DA’s governance crown, and we will act with integrity to demonstrate to voters that good, clean governance is not negotiable in the DA. We will assess the facts and take a decision on the matter on Sunday this week, at a special meeting of our Federal Executive, the highest decision-making body in the DA.
In response to the severe water crisis, the City of Cape Town has gone to great lengths to reduce water use while increasing supply. Seven projects to increase water supply are at an advanced stage and will start providing additional water in the coming months. These include groundwater extraction, waste water treatment and desalination. A further twelve projects are in the pipeline. World Bank consultants deem the City’s supply plan to be excellent and one of the most detailed they have ever seen. In addition to this, the City is working on a long term strategy to adapt to a low rainfall environment, and a critical water shortages disaster plan.
But ultimately, responding to the Cape drought is a group effort, as is building the road ahead for South Africa in 2018. Each of us has a part to play, and my hope is that we can unite and work together to give our kids a brighter future.

BOKAMOSO | 2018: The road ahead

Happy 2018! I hope the festive season was fun and restful, and that you are starting the year with batteries recharged and ready to tackle the challenges of 2018. The road ahead is by no means laid out; we have to chart it and build it. So I’d like to start the year by suggesting something of a roadmap.

In December, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as President of the ANC. I congratulate him and wish him well. We have to build a capable state in a South Africa that works for all. He was undoubtedly the better candidate. But we must not be lulled into a false sense of security by his promises of great reform. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The ANC remains a deeply divided, ideologically confused, undemocratic and corrupt organisation and it is far from clear that Ramaphosa will be able to undertake the critical reforms SA needs if we are to turn our economy around and start improving life in SA. Time will tell, and we will be watching closely.

Ramaphosa’s election may turn out to be the powder coating that fools South Africans into hanging onto their liberation movement long after it has outworn its usefulness. And that would simply set our nation back even further. So this is no time for us South Africans to drop our guard. We must be united and relentless in demanding the following key steps, each of which is absolutely non-negotiable.

With extraordinary urgency, Zuma must be removed and the structure he has built around him to enable state capture dismantled. That means appointing competent, independent individuals to head up the NPA, SAPS, SARS and the departments of Finance, Public Enterprises, Mineral Resources and State Security.

And then if nothing else, three crucial areas of policy reform have got to be tackled urgently.

First, South Africa needs SOE reform to stop the cash haemorrhage. This means putting capable, independent individuals in charge, focusing on strategic companies and selling or closing non-strategic ones. Eskom in particular requires urgent intervention to ensure a continuous supply of power at prices that enable our economy to compete effectively.

Second, we need a much more flexible regulatory regime for small and medium businesses, to unlock their massive job creation potential. Our unemployment rate of 36% is completely unnatural, and is the direct result of labour and other legislation that excludes new entrants and deters new job creation. Opening jobs and opportunities to young people must be a top priority.

Third, we have to insist that the needs of schoolchildren are placed ahead of the demands of SADTU. Right now, 4 out of 5 nine year olds cannot read with meaning in any language, setting them up for disaster at every further stage in life. This is a tragedy and a crisis and we owe it to all South Africa’s children to make this a central electoral issue.

Finally, we should expect that corruption is tackled in every sphere of government and past acts of corruption are aired and punished. This includes but is by no means limited to the inquiry into state capture.

Failure to act on any of these fronts should constitute a serious red flag, pointing to a government unable or unwilling to deliver on the pressing needs of ordinary South Africans, 55% of whom still live in poverty. We must judge Ramaphosa’s team on this scorecard, and make it clear we are doing so.

The DA will work hard this year to fight for these and other such reforms. We will continue seeking to unite South Africans on these issues, and around shared values of Constitutionalism, non-racialism, job-creating economic growth, zero tolerance of corruption, and a capable state.

Our role is to fight for the outsiders – the poor and marginalized and the young, who are locked out of the economy and unable to access the opportunities they need to get ahead in life. Our mission is to offer South Africa a compelling alternative: a new beginning beyond the hegemony of SA’s aging liberation movement. We aspire to a South Africa that is free, fair and filled with opportunity; a modern and forward looking country that is globally integrated and prosperous.

In government, the DA’s crucial focus will be on bringing jobs and opportunities – especially to young people. We will continue our strong drive to improve educational outcomes, which has once again placed the Western Cape top in the country in terms of the “real matric pass rate”, which takes retention rates into account.  We retained 64% of learners in the system between Grade 10 and the NSC exam, which is 22 percentage points higher than the Free State, which had the lowest retention rate in the country. And yet still, 83% of Western Cape learners passed the 2017 NSC exam.

The DA is facing two significant governing challenges right now: the Western Cape drought, and the allegations surrounding Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille. In both of these, please be assured we are acting according to our values.

In the De Lille matter, we will hold ourselves to the same standard that we hold the ANC. We do not tolerate cutting legal corners or playing fast and loose with the law. We have followed due process and insisted that our Councillors in Cape Town institute an independent investigation by Bowman Gilfillan. That report, along with another DA internal report, has found cause for serious concern in Cape Town. Cape Town is the jewel in the DA’s governance crown, and we will act with integrity to demonstrate to voters that good, clean governance is not negotiable in the DA. We will assess the facts and take a decision on the matter on Sunday this week, at a special meeting of our Federal Executive, the highest decision-making body in the DA.

In response to the severe water crisis, the City of Cape Town has gone to great lengths to reduce water use while increasing supply. Seven projects to increase water supply are at an advanced stage and will start providing additional water in the coming months. These include groundwater extraction, waste water treatment and desalination. A further twelve projects are in the pipeline. World Bank consultants deem the City’s supply plan to be excellent and one of the most detailed they have ever seen. In addition to this, the City is working on a long term strategy to adapt to a low rainfall environment, and a critical water shortages disaster plan.

But ultimately, responding to the Cape drought is a group effort, as is building the road ahead for South Africa in 2018. Each of us has a part to play, and my hope is that we can unite and work together to give our kids a brighter future.

DA’s Federal Executive to meet on Sunday to decide on way forward for the City of Cape Town

The DA is disappointed that some sections of the Party are ventilating their thoughts regarding City of Cape Town Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, through the media and call for members to refrain from doing so.

The matter is currently before the Federal Executive of the DA, as the highest decision making body of the Party, which will meet on Sunday to thoroughly engage with all aspects of the allegations against the Executive Mayor and the divisions within that caucus.

Ultimately, the DA will act in the best interests of the people of Cape Town and it is vital that this process is allowed to go ahead and not be prejudiced considering the serious nature of the allegations.

DA acts in the interest of a clean government that delivers for Cape Town

The DA’s Federal Executive became aware of the alleged existence of a number of issues in the DA’s City of Cape Town caucus including a series of reports and an affidavit containing troubling allegations of maladministration in the City.
Due to the nature and extent of such challenges, and the need for transparency and clarity, the Federal Executive resolved to establish a sub-committee to investigate the matter in a responsive and timely fashion.
The sub-committee has now completed its work, and has found sufficient management and governance-related challenges prevalent in the DA’s City of Cape Town caucus, negatively impacting the City’s mandate to govern efficiently for the people of Cape Town.
As an organisation, the DA prides itself on excellent governance standards, guided by the values of accountability and transparency. It was for this reason that the Leader directed the caucus of the COCT to establish an independent investigation to probe these allegations.
In the light of these developments, it was the view of the Federal Executive that the Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia De Lille, needed to be placed on suspension pending the outcome of these ongoing investigations. The Federal Executive has also asked her to supply reasons why she should not resign as the mayor. At this stage, no decision, other than suspension has been made, pending the provision of the reasons requested by the Federal Executive.
The DA remains committed to clean and efficient administrations where we govern. That is why it is of paramount importance that we get to the bottom of these allegations and swift leadership changes be made should they be found to be true so that our commitment to deliver to the people of Cape Town is not derailed.
We believe that this is the first step towards bringing new management to the City of Cape Town caucus that is stable, functional, and focused on delivering the highest quality of services to all of its residents.

City celebrates land restitution with 86 claimant families in Bishop’s Court

In fulfilling its commitment to redress and reconciliation, the City of Cape Town recently celebrated a restitution claim milestone with 86 families who are the rightful owners of the land and who were forcibly removed by the unjust Apartheid regime between 1966 and 1969 under the atrocious Group Areas Act. These families and others who have passed on were moved from their land in Bishop’s Court to the Cape Flats to areas such as Lotus River, Steenberg, Grassy Park, Manenberg, Heideveld and Wetton.
This will ensure that members of these families can live on this land that was so wrongfully taken from their elders. The claimants of the prime land in Bishop’s Court, known as the Protea Village Action Committee, lodged their claim for their land in 1995 and have been on this journey for 22 years.
In 2006, the National Government, the City and claimant community signed a memorandum of agreement in which the City agreed to transfer 8,5 hectares of the land to the claimants at no cost. Today this land is valued at approximately R100 million. In terms of that agreement, the Department of Public Works also agreed to transfer 3,7 hectares of land that was in its ownership to the claimants at no cost.
The City assisted with all planning and legislative tasks related to the resettlement of the claimant community such as the subdivision process which has been concluded.
Meanwhile, the Department of Land Affairs appointed a service provider to assist the claimants with the community development plans.

In the coming months, we will be finalizing the transfer of land in Plumstead, Crawford and Heideveld to claimants. It is my commitment that we will continue doing all we can to ensure that the rightful owners are returned to their land that was so cruelly taken away from them.
–  Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille

Find full article here

Cape Town Investigations are Progressing

The Democratic Alliance is closely following the developments in the City of Cape Town, and we are determined that all substantive allegations will be investigated fully and without any fear or favour by a totally independent investigator.
It is entirely appropriate and correct that these allegations are investigated thoroughly, and that a full report is presented to Council as soon as the investigation is completed.
The specific timeline is as follows:

  • The Audit Committee has appointed an outside investigator;
  • On Tuesday 5 December the Council will meet to decide on the suspension of the officials involved;
  • The Investigator will complete its investigation within 30 days, and no later than 29 December 2017;
  • Thereafter, the Investigator’s full report will be presented to Council;
  • Separately to this, the DA’s Federal Executive decided to establish an enquiry into obvious political tensions in the Cape Town Caucus in June 2017. This enquiry was chaired by John Steenhuisen MP, and included John Moodey MPL, Patricia Kopane MP, and Councillor Karen Smith.  This enquiry has completed its work, and is waiting for final responses before it compiles its report for submission to the Federal Executive.

It is important to note that the allegations involve serious questions of good governance and maladministration. One of the individuals implicated, Mayor de Lille, has suggested in her public communications that this investigation is an attempt to undermine the DA government’s efforts to spatially integrate Cape Town’s communities. This is patently nonsense, as a basic reading of the documentation shows. The DA’s efforts to integrate Cape Town was a pledge of our 2016 election manifesto, and is a commitment of the entire DA, not one person alone. The entire DA caucus in Cape Town completely supports this goal.
Nor is this an issue of factionalism in the caucus. Such narratives are being deliberately crafted to muddy the waters for the investigation. They are nothing more than purposeful misdirection, and should be seen as such.
We call on all those who have the City and the DA’s best interests at heart to focus on supporting and co-operating with the investigation into the specific allegations of maladministration.
The DA regards this matter extremely seriously, and we will not allow any sullying of our record as the only party of clean government. We will also take steps to ensure that this matter does not in any way disrupt the good work that the City of Cape Town is doing to alleviate the current water crisis, and that the City’s stated targets for new water augmentation are met.