Why the DA has been forced to apologise to Patricia de Lille by the IEC

The most arduous, long-winded legal battle of 2018 seemed to have been finally put to bed last October when Patricia de Lille resigned from her position as a DA member and Cape Town mayor. However, you simply cannot keep these two nemeses apart.

The feuding pair are at it again: Hostilities have been renewed after de Lille's Good Party representatives submitted complaints to the Electoral Commission (IEC) regarding the DA's canvassing tactics.

Patricia de Lille vs the DA who's apologising and why? It was alleged that certain call centre workers had told voters de Lille was sacked from her position as mayor. This was related to the corruption allegations that dogged her for the last 12 months of her leadership. However, that version of events isn't strictly true, but it's the story that their teleconsultants were openly sharing:

The @Our_DA has been found guilty of violating the IEC code of conduct for spreading false info about me via their telescripts to the voters stating that I was fired. They have been ordered to issue a public apology.

Patricia de Lille (@PatriciaDeLille) April 16, 2019 Patricia de Lille's resignation was part of a mutual agreement between the politician and the party that wanted her out. Yes, she has had to battle internal charges from the DA, but that wasn't the reason she left office.

Aunty Pat used to the slander The IEC has taken Aunty Pat's side in this raging debate and ordered the DA to issue a formal apology. De Lille told eNCA during a televised interview that these type of shenanigans are nothing new for her:

We're in an election period and Mmusi Maimane has signed the IEC's Code of Conduct. They have violated those rules. The DA must admit what they've done. I'm very grateful for the IEC. The DA spread lies about me all over the country. But I've been defending myself from this for two years, now.

Patricia de Lille So, when can we expect an apology? No time soon, by the looks of things. The DA's Mike Moriarty has dismissed the claims made by Patricia de Lille and threatened to take this decision to court. He believes that the IEC has overstepped their mandate and vowed to overturn their ruling. We suppose every good saga gets a sequel, right?

Tags: 2019 South African ElectionsDemocratic Alliance (DA)Patricia de LilleSouth Africa

LINK:	https://www.thesouthafrican.com/patricia-de-lille-da-apology-iec-why/...
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