Cape Town - GOOD party leader Patricia de Lille lashed out at the DA at an election rally this weekend, revealing plans to take legal action against its members.
De Lille told a packed school hall in Wesbank on Saturday that the DA, her former political home, remained “racist”. She said she had “finally left the bad to form the Good”.
“I’ve got news for them. Next week I am serving summons on four (DA) members of Parliament,” said De Lille.
“For the past two years, it’s been very tough for me I had to endure a vile and relentless dirty tricks campaign to get rid of me as the mayor of Cape Town,” she said.
“I’ve spent my whole life building a society that is just and fair. I fought against the apartheid regime and the ANC and their corruption. So the attack on my character by the DA was deliberate. In the DA they borrow deeply from apartheid era tricks. They have never changed.”
She added: “During all of this fight, the DA offered me a seat in Parliament. The DA offered me a seat as a minister in the provincial cabinet. They offered me to become their premier candidate.
“Would you offer positions to a corrupt person? Of course not. So that shows you that they are liars.”
DA national spokesman Solly Malatsi, who was De Lille’s spokesperson when she was mayor, on Sunday dismissed her comments.
“We are focusing on our campaign,” he said. “It is quite clear that her sentiments are a desperate attempt to draw attention to her campaign.
“She must talk about her offer to the electorate rather than talk about the DA.”
De Lille told the crowd she planned to fight racism in the Western Cape.
“The Western Cape is seen as a racist province. This is because of the DA and what they are doing. Our people are not racist. And I don’t believe that the Western Cape is racist,” she said.
“For as long as the DA remains the government of this province the Western Cape will continue to have the reputation that we are racist. So we must make sure we build one Western Cape.”
She also told the crowd in the impoverished area that she could not promise jobs, but would work to ensure health care and education.
Stompie Alwyn from Kalkfontein, a blind woman who sat in the front row at the rally, said she wanted to vote for De Lille.
“I’ve seen Patricia before I became blind. I think very good of her,” said Alwyn.
Faiesa Hardien from Wesbank, also at the rally, said De Lille’s party seemed to “empower the youth”.
“I’m fighting for the future of my children and grandchildren,” she said.
Michael Anthony from Bishop Lavis said he hoped De Lille would “keep her promises and won’t be another politician who get elected and then nothing comes of it”.