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'What must be, will be' - De Lille ahead of motion of no confidence

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille says she is feeling positive ahead of the upcoming motion of no confidence in her leadership in the city of Cape Town council.

De Lille and council Speaker Dirk Smit are expected to face separate motions of no confidence in the city of Cape Town's council sitting on Thursday.

De Lille's motion is the second brought by her own party that she will face in council this year, while the motion against Smit was tabled by the opposition African National Congress.

The embattled mayor released a short statement on Twitter on Wednesday ahead of, what could be, her last day in office, if the motion succeeds.

"The motions of no confidence in the past and this one have been on the basis of untested allegations without evidence," she tweeted.

"I remain positive and continue to put the people of Cape Town first. What must be, will be."

De Lille survived a similar motion of no confidence in her leadership in February by one vote.

DA Cape Town deputy caucus leader JP Smith, who has been critical of De Lille's leadership over the past 12 months, said it would be very difficult to predict the outcome of the new motion against the mayor.

"I can only tell you that one does it, not because you know if it will succeed or not, but because it is the right thing to do.

"The same conditions still apply, and the same reasons for our [loss] in confidence still apply."

Smith said it was impractical for the mayor to continue leading the city after losing the support of 70% of her own caucus, and following the raft of allegations levelled against her this year.

He was more confident about the motion against Smit, saying it would likely be defeated.

He dismissed the ANC's reasoning that Smit was not lenient enough with the opposition as "nonsense". None of their councillors bought the ANC's "contrived" arguments against Smit, he said.

Also read: 'I asked for the evidence, not the report' - De Lille, DA tiff rolls on

Cape Town ANC caucus leader Xolani Sotashe told News24 last week that they had lost confidence in Smit, claiming he had lost control over the last few months amid high profile issues such as the water crisis, and a motion to cut De Lille's executive powers.

With regards to the motion of no confidence in De Lille, Sotashe said their stance had not changed, accusing the DA of taking one more "shortcut" to remove the mayor.

The ANC wants De Lille to stay on to account for the numerous allegations against her in council and will not support the motion.

If the motion is successful, De Lille will have to resign and the mayoral committee she appointed will dissolve.

Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson will step in as acting mayor and the council will have 14 days in which to appoint a new mayor.

The council meeting will begin at 10:00. The motions against De Lille and Smit will likely take place after lunch.

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