Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille says her party’s decision not to support her administration’s proposed “drought charge” has caused confusion.
Speaking to TimesLIVE on Thursday during a visit to a Cape Flats aquifer drilling site in Mitchells Plain‚ De Lille said Twigg’s executive had not consulted the DA caucus before taking its decision.
“There is confusion there because the caucus of the DA had already taken a decision to support the drought charge.
From the DA caucus it went to council‚ where everybody in the DA caucus voted for that‚” she said.
“So the confusion really is‚ ‘how can you now go back and vote against your own decision?’
“Obviously the caucus can always go back and review‚ but as you have seen yesterday‚ that is not the official position of the full caucus.
De Lille’s future as mayor also hangs in the balance‚ with the DA national leadership due to decide on Sunday whether to keep her in the job.
A council meeting on January 31 is due to decide on the drought charge‚ which is intended to cover a R1.4-billion deficit in the city’s budget.
The levy is meant to be in place for four years and will affect 464‚000 households.
Asked what her administration would do if the drought charge was rejected‚ De Lille said: “We will have to then cut from other budgets from the city.”