After a false start earlier this week, Cape Town executive mayor Patricia de Lille's disciplinary hearing is due to start on Thursday.

De Lille was charged with contravening the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) federal constitution amid claims of misconduct.

Her disciplinary hearing got off to a slow start this week with technicalities including how the panel was appointed and how the hearing should be constituted.

"We haven't even gotten to the recusal of the panel yet," she said earlier this week.

De Lille believes that Sheila Camerer, one of the three panellists, was not "competent or suitable to hear the matter".

Previously, the mayor said Camerer hadn't "practised law in decades and she is a known political opponent".

Once that aspect is dealt with, the request for the hearing is to be open.

Before proceedings, she said that, as the first citizen of the city, she felt her hearing should be open.

Media24 submitted an application to the disciplinary committee to be allowed to attend the proceedings, given the public interest in the matter.

De Lille said the parties "found each other" on Tuesday on the way forward, discussing the public access request and other technical points.

"So, there's going to be no sitting tomorrow on Human Rights Day," said De Lille on Tuesday.

"And then it will be Thursday morning, sitting at 09:00."

On Monday, the DA's federal executive chairperson James Selfe said: "Ms De Lille is the one who constantly alleges that she was facing charges of corruption. We have never said so."

"It is true that there is a simultaneous investigation taking place in the City and, depending on its outcome, it is possible that further charges will be put to Ms De Lille," he said.

"It is of no interest to the general public and has nothing to do with her relationship with the City of Cape Town council," Selfe declared.

Selfe said internal party disciplinary issues were generally not open to the public.

"Ms De Lille, having herself served on the federal executive of the DA for many years, and viewed the disciplinary process up close, had no issue with it until now," he said.