Monica Bottom from the Patriotic Alliance has been appointed as the new mayor of Matzikamma municipality in the Western Cape.
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THE DA and FF Plus have been booted from power in the Matzikama municipality after successful motions of no confidence against the speaker, mayor and deputy mayor.
The ruling coalition now includes the ANC, PA, EFF and GOOD Party, who cited the previous administration’s “failure to address community concerns” in tabling the motions.
The new speaker of council is the ANC’s Johan Muller who replaces Andreas Sindyamba; the new mayor is Monica Bottom from the Patriotic Alliance replacing Johan van der Hoven; and the deputy mayor is Xolani Tsetu from the EFF after the ousting of Amelia Job.
The motions were brought at a council meeting last week.
According to the municipality, eight of the fifteen councillors supported the motions.
“The municipality remains committed to stability, good governance and sustained service delivery to all communities within the municipality.
“For the information of the public; the office of the municipal manager has been informed that the validity and legality of the process to elect other political office bearers after the Speaker adjourned the meeting will soon be questioned in court while the original elected office bearers are of the opinion that their status remains unchanged,” the Matzikamma municipality said.
The eight councillors who supported the motions had objected to the closure of the meeting and its adjournment.
“On the advice of a representative of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and in the presence of the municipal manager, chief financial officer and several councillors, it was stated that the speaker, who was himself the subject of a motion of no confidence, could not close the meeting. The representative of SALGA recommended that the meeting should proceed under the leadership of an Acting Speaker,” the municipality added.
GOOD said the previous administration “failed to meet the real needs of Matzikama’s residents”.
The party’s Christoffel van der Westhuizen will join the mayoral committee as MMC of Community Services.
“The (motion of no confidence) decision was based on sustained ineffective leadership, failure to address community concerns, ongoing non-compliance, and a lack of sound corporate governance. It is time for change. GOOD has joined this coalition with the hope that it will bring a renewed focus on service delivery, ethical governance, and the upliftment of our communities. We are committed to ensuring that local government works for the people - by delivering services and restoring dignity to every resident,” said GOOD secretary-general, Brett Herron.
DA Western Cape leader, Tertuis Simmers said they had taken steps to improve service delivery.
“The DA rejects the baseless claims made by GOOD (in) Matzikama regarding the recent developments in the Matzikama Municipality. This is nothing more than a desperate power grab by a coalition of opportunistic parties who have chosen to prioritise narrow political interests over the needs of the people of Matzikama. The DA, in partnership with the FF Plus, has worked hard to restore service delivery, stabilise finances, and uphold good governance in a municipality that had previously suffered under coalition chaos and mismanagement.
“Contrary to the GOOD Party’s claims, the DA-led government took concrete steps to improve service delivery, address infrastructure challenges, and implement financial discipline,” said Simmers.
The FF Plus blamed a DA councillor who allegedly defected for the party's removal.
“This was because of a DA councillor with a track record of jumping between parties, who defected and who voted against the coalition. There will now be a by-election and the DA/VF Plus coalition will be re-instated thereafter,” the FF Plus in the province said.
Cape Times