THE unrelenting tension between the DA and Independent Democrats in George continued yesterday, with ID leader Patricia de Lille branding Mayor Flip de Swardt “a liar”.

De Swardt said the ID had again tried to wrest the mayoralty away from the DA on Friday, and warned the frayed relationship could have “implications” for the province- wide coalition.

Council speaker Basil Petrus (ID) had called a council meeting in a bid to force the DA to honour an earlier promise to relinquish the mayoralty, he said, but De Lille said this was “a blatant lie”.

De Swardt said the coalition had ceased to exist because the ID had repeatedly reneged on agreements and had on occasion voted with the ANC and against the DA.

“So to come now and say we must elect an ID member as mayor because we have an agreement is rubbish. They can’t use our agreement only when it suits them.”

But De Lille said the DA had already pulled out of the George coalition two months ago.

“Why would we be trying to force the DA to honour agreements when the DA pulled out two months ago already? Flip de Swardt is lying.”

De Lille also discounted De Swardt’s claim that the situation threatened the coalition at a provincial level. “It is working fine everywhere else. Only George is a problem.”

De Swardt described the DA’s troubled relationship with the ID as “really painful” and that their leaders, Helen Zille and De Lille, were thrashing out their differences “to decide what is going to happen in George”.

He said Zille was trying to establish a “grand coalition” involving the DA, ID and Cope before the 2011 municipal elections. “Now, the question is, how can we form a coalition in the Western Cape when in George directly the opposite is happening?”

Meanwhile, Eden District Mayor Leon Dorfling has delivered scathing criticism of the DA in cutting his coalition agreement with the party, citing an irreparable breach of trust.

“The way the DA councillors work, their obsession with power, their indecisiveness and self-centredness in this council has made it impossible to work with them,” Dorfling said.

Dorfling – the sole Eden Forum councillor and who was elected on the strength of his party’s coalition deal with the DA – said he realised his decision to withdraw meant he would not be executive mayor for much longer, but it had not been a difficult decision.

“For me, it is not about the position. I have accepted this as part of a process towards principled leadership and effective service delivery.

“The DA has made it difficult for any coalition to succeed. Any partnership must be characterised by mutual respect and trust, something which a certain faction within the DA does not understand.”

He accused the DA of apportioning greater priority to its political goals than community needs, and said some DA councillors had contributed to the district council’s failure to efficiently deliver services.

DA councillors had also reneged on agreements. “This breach in trust between myself and the DA councillors is irreparable.”

Strong leadership was needed in Eden to deal with the prevailing drought, economic pressures, poverty and promotion of tourism.

“It is important that we show the necessary respect to the electorate, and it is now time for change.”

Dorfling’s move is expected to spark a renewed bid for control between the DA and ANC.

DA MP Jacques Bekker said he would be in George today to form a new coalition in order to retain control.

“I believe we can retain power. I’ll have to try to convince Icosa and the NPP to join us,” Bekker said, referring to the coalition between the DA’s 12 councillors and two from the ID.

The Independent Civics Organisation and the National People’s Party each have one seat, but have in the past sided with the ANC against the DA-led coalition. Matters are expected to come to a head at the next council meeting on December 1.