De Lille wins bid to keep her job as Cape Town mayor - for now

Patricia de Lille has been reinstated as mayor of Cape Town.

Announcing his decision in the High Court in Cape Town on Tuesday‚ Judge Patrick Gamble said it was in the best interests of the city.

De Lille’s reinstatement will last at least until the outcome of her court application to review the DA decision to rescind her party membership.

The court decision came exactly a week after the DA announced that De Lille was no longer a party member‚ as a result of comments she had made in a radio interview.

Said Gamble‚ who heard De Lille’s case with Judge Monde Samela‚ said: “We are genuinely concerned for the harm her loss of office has for the people of Cape Town. The city has lost the services of its first citizen and members of the mayoral committee.”

He warned that any other decision in De Lille’s application for an urgent interdict returning her to the mayor’s office‚ risked “a veritable case of musical chairs in the mayoral parlour”.

He added: “Such chopping and changing in mayco is not to the benefit of the city.”

De Lille’s application to overturn the DA decision to rescind her membership is due to be heard on Friday May 25.