De Lille was chosen as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for the Mother City on Monday.
Cosatu said in a statement on Tuesday that the opposition party’s choice “just confirms that the DA white old guard are happy that De Lille has done their bidding to their satisfaction”.
Cosatu made a string of charges in its statement.
“This mayor has shown herself to be the champion of the wealthy old white communities who want to keep the legacy of apartheid alive in Cape Town‚" said Cosatu.
“This Mayor has sneaked off to meet white developers in Camps Bay‚ whilst she ignores the needs of the poor on the Cape Flats.
“This mayor has also kept the old Apartheid divisions alive by not doing anything to promote integration in the old white areas.”
De Lille‚ who was once a member of the Pan Africanist Congress‚ was also accused of putting her struggle credentials at the service of the DA.
“The DA racists have effectively used one of the oppressed to champion their cause of white ownership and control in Cape Town‚ while creating the impression of delivery to the poor African and Coloured communities. They had to buy a black leader‚ as they do not trust the local blacks in the DA to give up on the desires of the poor constituencies they represent on the Cape Flats‚” the federation alleged.
Cosatu said under the DA the story of Cape Town had become “a tale of two cities”.
“The City of the Cape Flats will grow further apart from the City of the Shadows of Table Mountain and the West Coast‚ the ‘Tale of two Cities’ will deepen.
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