After 10 years at the helm of the City of Cape Town, the smart money said the DA would be in power for decades after it won 66.61% of votes in August 2016. A year later, disgruntlement has set in, and it may be about to take root and flourish.
Emboldened by her crushing victory, mayor Patricia de Lille set about restructuring the municipality and making enemies, chief among them the man dubbed the sheriff of Cape Town, safety and security boss JP Smith.
A difficult private relationship has now exploded into public conflict at what could turn out to be the worst possible time for De Lille. Having stepped down in January as DA leader in the Western Cape to “dedicate myself to service delivery”, her successor is to be elected on Saturday.
The favourite, by virtue of his incumbency as acting leader, is housing MEC BonginkosiMadikizela, whose rival is De Lille ally and MPL Lennit Max. Should Madikizela win, talkwill turn to ways of lifting his public profile, and De Lille’s role in the Smith matter could be a gift horse for the DA leadership.