15 February 2018

I am relieved that a sense justice prevailed today.

It took an enormous amount of bravery by the DA councillors who supported me today. I thank them for their courage and for voting with conviction today.

I also thank the opposition parties for seeing beyond party lines and voting on a matter of principle.

To the many people of Cape Town and the various communities who have supported me with their kind words and well wishes, my heartfelt thanks goes to each and every single person.

Your words have been a great source of strength during this trying time.

I also want to express my deep gratitude all the religious communities including my favourite, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the many people who have prayed for me and sent me well wishes.

I am extremely grateful for the support from all corners of society and I am even more honoured to serve the people of Cape Town.

The motion before Council today arose from the fact that I was already found guilty on untested allegations.

All of these untested allegations were used to smear my name for the past six months.

Despite relentless efforts to get rid of me, the vote today shows that the truth will always survive.

I maintain that all allegations must be tested in an open and transparent process.

I remain open to subjecting myself to due process and to exercise my right to give my side of the story.

In terms of the DA in the City, we have to find a way of uniting the DA caucus and unite the city so we can continue to our task to deliver services to the people of Cape Town.

Once again, my heartfelt thanks to each and every person for their support. 

I remain committed to working with all councillors and residents to continue making progress possible together and making this great city even greater.

Issued by Patricia de Lille, 15 February 2018