South Africa: Patricia de Lille’s eviction plunges AD into crisis

In South Africa, the mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, was dismissed on Tuesday 8 May. She was in conflict with her party, the Alliance Democratic, which accused her of mismanagement of the city and nepotism for months.

Patricia de Lille was even excluded from the party, while this figure of the fight against apartheid was surely the most popular personality. This is yet another setback for the Democratic Alliance, which connects crises.

Five days after his dismissal from the Cape Town Hall, Patricia de Lille is preparing her counterattack. The woman who for a long time was South Africa’s second favourite political figure lodged a complaint against the Democratic Alliance, according to her, her eviction is illegal.

The crisis in the mayor of Cape Town lasted for several months, this time the divorce is consumed. A divorce that should leave traces and illustrates the many tensions within the AD, the main opposition party.

The right-centre party, still supported by a majority of South African whites, has lost credibility in recent months. The leader Mmusi Maimane does not escape. This Black South African had recently spoken of the importance of fighting the white privilege still present in the country, before getting the wrath of his own supporters.

This debate, like the eviction of Patricia de Lille from the Cape Town Hall, is indicative of the lack of change within the AD. This could make him lose all his electoral gains of the last two years.