The Democratic Alliance has ceased the party membership of Patricia de Lille. This means she has lost her seat as a councillor and is therefore no longer the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, with immediate effect.
In terms of the Municipal Structures Act, when the post of Executive Mayor is vacant, the Executive Deputy Mayor, who is elected by Council, automatically holds all Mayoral authority until such time as a new Executive Mayor is elected by Council.
As Acting Executive Mayor, I hold all the authority of the Mayoral seat and am committed to continuing to serve the residents of Cape Town with uninterrupted service delivery. Having served as the Executive Deputy Mayor for the past nine years, having been a City councillor for 22 years and having been involved in the leadership of numerous administrations, I am fully apprised of the needs of the City and those we serve.
The Mayoral Committee, which was appointed by the outgoing Executive Mayor dissolves, with immediate effect, due to the vacancy. As it stands, at this moment, only the Speaker and I are political authorities in the City of Cape Town.
I will now apply my mind in the coming days to appointing an interim Mayoral Committee that will serve until Council elects a new Executive Mayor.
The City Manager has informed the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) about the Council vacancy. We await due process to unfold and we will communicate further in due course.
In the meantime, we assure the residents of Cape Town that the administration of the City is secure and we remain committed to the work we do to deliver services across the City.
City of Cape Town