Zille made a first, brief appearance before the panel, where a timeline was agreed on.

All parties had until June 23 to submit relevant documents for the hearings.

Zille said she was not at liberty to discuss anything about the process yet, as confidentiality agreements still had to be signed.

The DA’s federal legal commission chairperson Glynnis Breytenbach, who is the prosecutor in the case, said confidentiality agreements would be signed by next Wednesday.

Friday’s meeting lasted about an hour, she said.

DA federal executive chairperson James Selfe said the process was in the disciplinary panel’s hands. It is made up of DA members from around the country, who do not sit on the federal executive.

The chairperson is a DA councillor in Potchefstroom, Hans-Jurie Moolman. He is an advocate by profession.

The federal executive suspended Zille from all party activities on Wednesday, following tweets about colonialism which she posted in March. DM