DA’s new recall rule will not affect De Lille

DA Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille will not be affected by the party’s no-nonsense congress decision to amend its constitution allowing for the recall of any of its elected public representatives through a motion of no confidence for anyone found to have brought the party into disrepute.

Re-elected DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the resolution at the congress, which was held in Pretoria, would help to hold party public representative accountable.

In other resolutions, an elected DA public representative including the president, premier, mayor and any other public representative would have to resign within 48 hours after a vote of no confidence, failing which he or she would lose party membership.

This decision would not be applied retrospectively, which would help De Lille as it was made after she had already been through a disciplinary process.

De Lille escaped a no-confidence motion by a whisker when the ANC voted against ousting her. But the DA went ahead with charging her for allegedly bringing the party into disrepute. She faces disciplinary charges relating to allegations she accepted a bribe, among other issues.

In terms of the new decision, the party’s federal executive would asked the member to resign within 45 hours after having heard his or her side of the story. Failure by the affected person to resign would lead to the cessation of his or her party membership.

Maimane said this decision was a milestone that would help to hold DA leaders accountable as elected representatives.

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