Patricia De Lille

Patricia de Lille, a South African politician, was born the 17 February, 1951 in Beaufort West to Henry and Gertrude Lindt. She is the third of seven children in an Afrikaans-speaking coloured family. Her father, a teacher, was a Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) supporter. She received her primary education at the Methodist Primary School and thereafter completed her secondary education at Bastiaanse Hoërskool in 1969. In 1974, she worked as a laboratory technician for Plascon Paints and remained there for 16 years. In 1985 she earned a diploma in industrial relations through Damelin College. She was then employed, joined the SACWU. After SACWU became a founding affiliate of the NACTU and became its regional chairperson,then its national vice president in 1988. 

During this time, she became heavily involved in trade union politics and joined as a member of the South African Chemical Workers' Union (SACWU). She started off as a shop steward but slowly worked her way up as SACWU's regional secretary. She then went on to form part of the National Executive Committee of SACWU and was also the regional chairperson of the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) in the Western Cape. Politically, NACTU was to the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) what the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is to the African National Congress (ANC).

In 1989, she was elected into the National Executive Committee of the Pan Africanist Movement (PAM), a wing of the PAC. When the PAC and other political organisations were unbanned in 1990, de Lille was appointed as foreign secretary and relief and aid secretary of the party. During the CODESA negotiations, De Lille led the PAC delegation and after the first democratic elections, she was appointed as a member of parliament.

Between 1994 and 1999, she served as the chairperson of the Transport committee and the chief whip for the PAC in parliament. She also served on various portfolio committees including the Health, Mineral and Energies portfolios as well as on the rules committee,  the codes of ethics and many others. Ironically, de Lille used the very same rule of floor crossing that she fiercely opposed in parliament to break away from the Pan Africanist Congress; officially becoming the first South African woman to formally establish her own political party, the Independent Democrats (ID) in 2003.

With her new party winning four seats in the national de Lille retained her position as a parliamentarian. She used her position to voice her opinions on issues such as corruption, women and child abuse, HIV/Aids and others such as, children in prison, xenophobia and poverty. De lille serves on, or has served on, the boards of the following organisations:

• Fikelela HIV/AIDS Project
• Age-in-Action - Patron
• Diocesan College-Bishops - council member
• Nazareth House HIV/Aids Children, where she sponsors one child
• St Joseph's Home for chronically sick children
• Helen Suzman Foundation
• Impumelelo Innovation Awards
• Caring Network
• Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
• HIV/Aids Babies Battling HIV/AIDS Trust

She is also a member of both the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians against Corruption and the African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption. Patricia was the first politician to expose corruption in the controversial Arms Deal in South Africa ultimately leading to the investigation of government officials such as former ANC Chief Whip, Tony Yengeni. In 2004 she was awarded the HIV/AIDS activist award by Canadian-based organisation, South African Women for Women. Another first for South African women, Patricia would become the first woman to be recognised as a Honorary Colonel in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 2006.

In a surprise political move, the ID merged with the Democratic Alliance (DA) 2010, in an effort to better oppose the ruling ANC. Seen as a move toward strengthening the cooperation between both parties, the ID officially disbanded as a separate political organisation in 2014. During this period de Lille served as the Minister for Social Development of the Western Cape from 2010-2011 and come 2011, de Lille would succeed fellow DA Member Dan Plato as the Mayor of the City of Cape Town, a position she holds as of February 2018.[1]

From mid-2017 to the beginning of 2018, de Lille has come under fire for potential misconduct as a result of a broad investigation into the City of Cape Town’s management executives. In September 2017, she received a suspension from DA party activities when an argument between herself and mayoral committee member JP Smith with regards to her decision to shut-down a special investigating unit in the city became public.[2] At the same time, de Lille faced allegations of corruption and mismanagement following an investigation by the Federal executive of the DA.

Part of the investigation is concerned with the ongoing Foreshore Freeway project and its tender management. City law firm Bowman Gilfillan, launched an independent inquiry into de Lille’s possible connections to alleged tender fraud in the Cape Town’s transport authority.[3] Allegations suggest that the city’s transport commissioner used her position and connection with de Lille to abuse tender processes.[4]

Called to resign as the leader of the DA in the Western Cape by various party members, de Lille would finally step down as provincial leader on Wednesday, 1 February 2018 and was succeeded by Bonginkosi Madikizela, nephew to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. [5] Following her resignation, the Cape Town Cty council, as well as the DA’s federal executive council, proposed a vote of no confidence in de Lille as Mayor, a motion which may result in the removal of Patricia de Lille as Mayor of Cape Town. On 15 February 2018 she survived a secret vote of no confidence in her as Cape Town’s mayor by one vote.

Later events stand in contrast to the public image de Lille has displayed throughout her political career. In 2004, de Lille was voted into the Top 100 Great South Africans, ranked 22nd and in the same year, voted one of South Africa’s favourite politicians in a Markinor Survey, coming second only to President at the time, Thabo Mbeki.[6]

She is married to husband, Edwin de Lille and mother of two children, Carmen and Allistar.[7]

Patricia de Lille has resigned from DA on 18th of November in 2018, announcing to form a new Political Party movement in 2019.[8]

When De Lille resigned as Mayor of Cape Town, she mentioned that she would take two weeks off of public life, while she writes her book and evaluates her choices. It was suspected de Lille would either revive her old political party, the Independent Democrats, or either join the African National Congress or the Economic Freedom Fighters.

On 18 November 2018, De Lille launched the "For Good" political movement and website. She said at the event that she would form a new political party. On 2 December 2018, De Lille announced the formation of a new political party named, Good. Other disgruntled former Democratic Alliance members, such as Brett Herron and Shaun August, were present at the event. She also said that the political party is registered with the IEC and would contest the 2019 general election.

De Lille was announced as the Good Party's Western Cape Premier candidate on 10 February 2019. On 16 February 2019, she officially launched the “Aunty Pat for Premier Campaign” in Wesbank near Delft outside Cape Town. Following the May 2019 general elections, De Lille was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa. She took office on 22 May 2019. Her party won two seats in Parliament. she was sworn in as the Minister of Public On 29 May 2019, De Lille was appointed Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure by President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa.[9]

End Notes

[1] https://www.da.org.za/da-governed-municipalities/city-cape-town/patricia-de-lille/ ↵

[2] http://ewn.co.za/2017/11/23/de-lille-has-10-days-to-answer-to-committee-probing-her-conflict-with-jp-smith ↵

[3] http://ewn.co.za/2018/01/05/council-orders-investigation-into-claims-of-corruption-cover-ups-by-de-lille ↵

[4] https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2017-12-15-da-suspends-cape-town-mayor-patricia-de-lille/ ↵

[5] https://www.news24.com/Columnists/GuestColumn/de-lilles-resigned-due-to-dictatorial-da-20170201 ↵

[6] http://www.relocationafrica.com/patricia-de-lille-life-embattled-cape-town-mayor/ ↵

[7] https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/dinner-with-de-lille-1065356 ↵

[8] www.enca.com/news/watch-de-lille-launches-new-political-party ↵

[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_de_Lille ↵