Africa-Press – South-Africa. Political tension is brewing in the Witzenberg municipality in the Western Cape after the DA leadership was removed from the council and a new coalition government installed.
The DA mayor, Hennie Smit, and the DA Speaker, Elizabeth Sidego, were removed during a council meeting held on Monday.
The new municipal leadership elected is made up of GOOD, ANC, EFF, Icosa, Witzenberg Action Party and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
The GOOD party’s Katriena Robyn was elected as the new mayor, the ANC’s Gert Laban as the deputy mayor, and Petrus Heradien, of the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa), as the Speaker.
But the DA has threatened to challenge the outcome of Monday’s council meeting, claiming the council meeting was unlawful.
The DA said the GOOD party and the ANC illegally elected a new mayor and Speaker because Monday’s council meeting had already been adjourned.
The DA’s Wendy Kaizer-Philander said Monday’s council meeting was scheduled to elect a deputy mayor, where Laban was elected.
She claimed the meeting had been adjourned because there was no further business to deal with, but the coalition partners held their own meeting in the absence of a presiding officer as prescribed in Section 29 of the Municipal Structures Act.
“They acted unlawfully, once again,” she said.
Accusing GOOD and the ANC of making a “mockery of constitutional and council processes”, Kaizer-Philander said:
She said Smit and Sidego were still in their positions as the legitimately elected office bearers – and, together with their coalition partners, they would continue to serve the residents of Witzenberg.
The need to elect a new mayor came after the deputy mayor, Felicity Klazen, was expelled from GOOD amid a controversial “sex party” scandal.
The DA, along with FF Plus, Witzenberg Party and GOOD, were in charge of the municipality.
Shortly after GOOD expelled Klazen, the coalition imploded.
GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, said that, when the DA saw they would lose the council vote and be voted out of office, the Speaker unlawfully adjourned the meeting.
“The municipal manager is meant to chair a council meeting to elect an acting Speaker if the Speaker is not able to be present or to continue with a meeting.
“Instead of complying with his legal duties, the municipal manager also walked out of the meeting. Therefore, the DA, with the help of the municipal manager, intentionally collapsed a lawfully convened meeting because they would lose power,” he said.
The ANC’s Neville Delport said: “While the ANC is proud to be part of this coalition that seeks to work collaboratively for the advancement of Witzenberg, we are deeply disappointed by the actions of the DA councillors who chose to walk out of the meeting.”
Delport said such a display of defiance undermined the democratic process and hindered their ability to address pressing issues which demanded immediate attention.
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