Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille. Source: FB/Patricia de Lille

Home » Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille Claims Report Based on Erroneous Facts

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille Claims Report Based on Erroneous Facts

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, who is currently fighting to keep her mayoral position, released a statement Friday evening in response to comments made by the ANC at a press conference earlier today. She claims that the Bowman Gilfillan report is based on erroneous facts and findings. De Lille was suspended by the Democratic Alliance […]

By SAPeople
05-01-18 22:01
in Eish!
Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille. Source: FB/Patricia de Lille

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, who is currently fighting to keep her mayoral position, released a statement Friday evening in response to comments made by the ANC at a press conference earlier today. She claims that the Bowman Gilfillan report is based on erroneous facts and findings.

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille. Source: FB/Patricia de Lille

De Lille was suspended by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in mid-December following an affidavit from a key member of her office which contained “troubling allegations of maladministration”, according to a DA statement on 14 December 2017.

 

De Lille, who was given until today to submit reasons for why she should not resign, said in the statement Friday evening:

“Today our council adopted a report prepared by Bowman Gilfillan, who were appointed to investigate whether any prima facie grounds existed for disciplinary action to be taken against one or more of our senior managers – Achmat Ebrahim, the City Manager; Melissa Whitehead, the Commissioner Transport & Urban Development; and Craig Kesson, the Executive Director Directorate of the Mayor.”

EWN revealed today that according to an independent investigation Ebrahim has reportedly blamed De Lille for covering up alleged wrongdoing by Whitehead, which – according to EWN – including “irregular expenditure of R72 million to Volvo and Scania, for bus chassis”, as well as other incidents of apparent corruption and cronyism.

Referring to the Bowman Gilfillan report, De Lille said on Friday evening: “In adopting that report our council took a number of resolutions based on the report and its apparent findings.

“I welcome further investigations as agreed by council today.

“As resolved by Council on the 5 December 2017, a copy of that Bowman Gilfillan report was delivered to me on Friday 29th December 2017.

“I perused the report over the New Year’s Eve weekend and found that it contained a number of material factual errors upon which Bowman Gilfillan consequently made highly prejudicial “findings”, “conclusions” and “recommendations”.

“Bowman Gilfillan reserved their right to amend the report should any information be brought to their attention which would impact the findings of their report.

“Based on this apparent invitation to correct erroneous findings I submitted a letter to them on Wednesday 3 January 2018 setting out the factual errors as they relate to me.

“I requested that they amend the report, and some of their findings, based on the factual errors I pointed out so that Council could consider and act on a report that was factually correct in as many respects as possible given their tight timelines.

“Amongst those errors was a “factual finding” that established that I had “in fact” provided the DA leader with a copy of certain forensic reports. They also reported that I had confirmed in my interview with them that I had done so.

“What I had in fact stated in my interview with them was that I had certainly not provided the DA Leader or any other unauthorised persons with copies of any forensic reports.

“Based on this fallacious finding, Bowman Gilfillan concluded that the inference, and allegations, that the Executive Director: Directorate of the Mayor or any other person, distributed confidential forensic documents to unauthorised parties, including a DA Member of Parliament, needs no further consideration or investigation.

“Notwithstanding Bowman Gilfillan’s apparent invitation to correct erroneous findings they informed me, via the Councils Committee Secretariat, that they would not amend their report.

“Today I received written confirmation from the Leader of the DA that I did not give him or his office the reports. This confirms that the Bowman Gilfillan report is based on erroneous facts and findings.

“I also feel that I have been unfairly and unnecessarily defamed and embarrassed by this report and believe Bowman Gilfillan’s refusal to correct a false finding, or to even consider that they may have made an error, to be unreasonable. More especially in light of their apparent invitation to have errors pointed out to them.

“The report cannot stand as it is. It must be corrected.

“All of this could have been avoided had Bowman Gilfillan considered the request I made to them on 3 January 2018.

“I am taking advice from my legal team on how to deal with this most unfortunate outcome of a process that was meant to provide a clear and independent way forward for our council as we pursue good clean governance.”