Vacancies filled in Oudtshoorn municipality after DA "take-over"

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Five vacancies were left open in the Oudtshoorn Municipality on Monday, forcing mayor Gordon April to announce a new executive for the town.

This follows a day of high drama on Friday, when the DA said it had wrested control of the municipality from the ANC with the help of five rebel ANC councillors.

Provincial deputy leader Theuns Botha apparently caucused secretly with the five disgruntled ANC councillors, Pieter Luiters and Hendrik Botha, and ward councillors Jurie Harmse, Hendrik Ruiters and Jeremy Goliath.
However while the DA's actions were later found to be illegal, municipal spokesman Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe said on Monday the IEC acknowledged five vacancies , confirming that Luiters, Botha, Goliath, Ruiters and Harmse were no longer councillors of Oudtshoorn.

Four of the former councillors served on the Executive Mayoral Committee (Mayco), and April, responded immediately by announcing a new executive:
* The Deputy Mayor: Vlancio Donson;
* The Speaker: Johannes Stoffels, ex officio;
* Councillor Lea Stalmeester: Corporate Services;
* Councillor Nondumiso Gunguluza: Community Services;
* Councillor Zoliswa Phillips: Finance;
* Cpuncillor Charlie Wagenaar: Technical Services;
* Councillor Erik Ngalo: Strategic Services.
April also extended the tenure of the acting municipal manager, Ron Lottering, for 30 days.

"The Speaker is confident of approaching the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday to seek relief setting aside the constitution and decisions of the meeting of 17 councillors which followed the closure of the Council Meeting on May 31," Mangqwengqwe said.

John Harvey