'I told you so', Patricia de Lille tells Mmusi Maimane after resignation

Public works minister and leader of the Good party Patricia de Lille has weighed in on DA leader Mmusi Maimane's shock resignation.

De Lille left the DA last year after a brutal fight to have her removed as City of Cape Town mayor, with a faction aligned to Maimane leading the charge.

In a statement, immediately after Maimane and former DA chairperson Athol Trollip announced their resignations on Wednesday, De Lille said she was glad to see Maimane go.

"Hope you have a GOOD time," she told him, hinting at a move to her party.

"When I resigned from the DA on my own terms a year ago on October 31 2018, it was after learning bitter lessons that the party’s stated policies were window-dressing not matched by its practices in government.

"I hate to say I told you so, but I am going to say it anyway.

"I am not claiming to be a sangoma, but I warned Mmusi Maimane that if he didn’t stand on principle, his party’s 'laptop boys' would swallow him up and spit him out. He saw the 'blue train' coming but didn’t know how to get out of the way," said De Lille.

She said Maimane and his handlers had no clue about principled leadership. 

"The DA is well on its way on the path of destruction, and it’s best we don’t disturb them. South Africans who care about all our people must continue to come together for common GOOD."

Maimane's resignation as DA leader comes after the party performed dismally in this year's elections. An internal review report of the DA adopted by the party's federal council last weekend recommended that Maimane steps down from his position.

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