Podcast: Patricia de Lille on the politics of life – and Change

Patricia de Lille is the executive mayor of the city of Cape Town. Her story embodies a central strand in the weave of the story of South Africa over the last half century: dignity in the face of extreme injustice; fury and hatred; the slow transformation of individuals and organisations to make it possible to reach across the chasm; and the coming together of unlikely partners to build something new. 

We met in Cape Town in February 2016 to record an interview for VeranderDinge, a lifestyle programme co-produced by BrightRock for Afrikaans DStv channel kykNET. Since then, she has become embroiled in controversy; with her position in the city and the DA both hanging in the balance.

The English translation of our conversation is available in Tell Me Your Story, a book of interviews I did with prominent South Africans about their life choices and about how change has affected them.