The ANC has described the new coalition which booted it out of governance in the Theewaterskloof (TWK) Municipality as “selfish and self-centred, focusing on a few politicians”.
The GOOD party terminated its coalition agreement with the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and ANC, joining forces with the DA and the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (SRWP) to form a new coalition.
This follows motions of no confidence at a special council meeting in Caledon on Wednesday, leading to the removal of the PA’s Mary Liebenberg as mayor, and the ANC’s Derick Appel as speaker.
The DA’s Lincoln de Bruyn received 14 votes in favour of his appointment as the new mayor, and GOOD party’s John Michels was elected speaker after getting 15 votes.
The SRWP will assume the municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) chairperson role.
“Their leadership will be crucial as we navigate this period of transition and continue to serve the people of Theewaterskloof.
“A special council meeting will be scheduled for August 16, 2024 to elect a deputy mayor,” said the municipality. A new mayoral committee was also announced.
A joint GOOD and DA statement said under the new coalition, residents can look forward to improved service delivery and be assured that the municipality will secure stability in council and avoid fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
“Residents can have faith in an administration that cares and puts the needs of residents first,” it said.
ANC Western Cape secretary Neville Delport expressed disappointment in the coalition changes, claiming the DA and GOOD entered into “a grand coalition” rather than build a government of local unity (GLU) that is diverse, inclusive of all the parties and represents the entire Theewaterskloof community.
“We believe these changes will cause unnecessary divisions within the community and bring more political instability to the municipality. This will negatively impact service delivery for all residents, the very people we were elected to represent.
“We also believe that what happened in Theewaterskloof was driven by self-interest and factional politics in the DA. GOOD has unfortunately fallen victim to ... deceit,” said Delport.
He said leaders across the political spectrum have adapted to the new political reality in South Africa, but the DA was yet to make the transition from the politics of “narrow opposition to government”.
“The ANC finds the idea of grand coalitions selfish and self-centred and not focused on serving the people, only a few politicians. Going forward, we commit to being an effective and robust opposition in Theewaterskloof and wherever else we are not the governing party.
“We commit to focusing on ensuring effective service delivery,... and building safer communities for all...,” he added.
The Freedom Front Plus, whose relationship has gone sour with the DA, said it noted the newly-formed coalition “sidestepping the FF Plus”.
Cape Times