DA fires broadside at De Lille ahead of her disciplinary hearing

The DA is adamant that internal party disciplinary issues are not generally open to the public.

The party's federal council chairman‚ James Selfe‚ issued a scathing statement in response to a statement by Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille who wants her hearing to be open.

This‚ she said‚ is the only way her reputation can be restored.

The former anti-apartheid activist‚ who is set to appear before a panel on Tuesday‚ has been charged‚ according to Self‚ with contravening the federal constitution of the DA‚ "specially‚ charges of misconduct".

"Ms De Lille is the one who constantly alleges that she is facing charges of corruption. We have never said so. It is true that there is a simultaneous investigation taking place in the City‚ and depending on its outcome‚ it is possible that further charges will be put to Ms de Lille‚" his statement read.

"It is therefore‚ quite clearly‚ an internal matter between a member and the party. It is of no interest to the general public and has nothing to do with her relationship with the City of Cape Town Council."

"Internal party disciplinary issues are not generally open to the public‚ since it is a contractual relationship in which the public has no input or interest. It is therefore hard to imagine why this particular point is emphasised as being a 'key consideration'."

De Lille also took aim at DA federal legal commission chair Glynnis Breytenbach‚ who she claimed wants a closed hearing.

She also pointed out that Breytenbach had fought for her disciplinary hearing to be open when she was an employee of the National Prosecuting Authority.

“'Maar haastige hond verbrand sy mond'(But hasty dog burns his mouth)‚ as we say in Afrikaans. We will show on Tuesday that while the party in theory has structures such as local caucuses‚ legal commissions‚ councils etc‚ in reality all the decisions are simply taken by three or four individuals who rush around putting different hats on as they go along‚" De Lille said.

She has also claimed that her request that the disciplinary hearing should be led by an independent and impartial person‚ to secure a fair process‚ fell on deaf ears. She has asked Sheila Camerer to recuse herself because De Lille said she hasn't practiced law in decades.

Selfe hit back: "Ms De Lille sarcastically alludes to 'maar haastige hond verbrand sy mond'. Yet she accuses Sheila Camerer of being 'a Deputy Minister of Justice in Apartheid South Africa' and of not having practiced law in decades. The facts are different: Ms Camerer was also appointed Deputy Minister of Justice by President Mandela‚ and is a currently a practising attorney. Further to this‚ she served as a Member of Parliament for more than two decades and also served as the Ambassador to Bulgaria."