Cape Town - GOOD Party councillor Katriena Robyn was on Wednesday elected as mayor of Witzenberg Municipality – a day after she lodged a complaint of bribery against the now former-DA mayor Hennie Smit for allegedly attempting to buy her vote during a council meeting a week ago.
Smit was forced to step down after the police opened a case on the matter.
GOOD Party was part of the DA-led coalition in Witzenberg where the party supported the DA mayor and GOOD’s Felicity Klazen took the post of deputy mayor.
However, following Klazen’s expulsion from GOOD after an internal disciplinary process, and Klazen’s subsequent defection to the DA, Robyn took her place in the council.
Meanwhile, Smit unilaterally broke up the coalition and wanted a councillor from the Witzenberg Aksie Party to replace GOOD in a new coalition and expected Robyn to go along with the plan.
According to the complaint Robyn lodged, it was when she refused to go along that Smit offered her “thousands” to vote with the DA.
GOOD Party secretary-general and MP Brett Herron said: “We commend Robyn on her principled stance and for laying the criminal charges.
“We call on SAPS to investigate this speedily. The truth about the DA and its methods are becoming clearer every day.”
By the time of writing, Smit had not replied to the Cape Argus’s request for a comment on the accusations against him.