Daniel Maritz passes away

GEORGE NEWS - Former Executive Deputy Mayor and Speaker of George, Daniel Maritz lost his long battle with stomach cancer on Saturday 6 January in the George Hospital.

He leaves behind his wife Mari, four daughters, a son and 5 grandchildren.

Maritz comes from Geelhoutboom and completed his schooling at George High School where he was a keen athlete, regularly competing in marathons.

He started his political career in the streets of Conville as a civic activist before joining the DA. In the 2006 Local Government Elections, he won the Conville ward for the DA with over 63% of the votes.

Maritz rose through the ranks of the DA and for two terms (2009/10 and 2011/12) held the position of Deputy Chairman of the Eastern Region as well as constituency chairperson of George. On Council Maritz served in various positions during his two terms (2006 to 2011 and 2011 to 2016) as Deputy Mayor, Speaker and mayoral committee member.

In his first term as a councillor, Maritz cut his teeth in George as the dedicated go-between trying to bring a semblance of decorum to council. This period was marked by coalition politics in which the smaller political parties were demanding extravagant political power in return for their one or two votes coupled with the controversial floor crossing legislation in place, resulted in a volatile political system that was the order of the day in the Western Cape.

DA Regional Secretary Tertuis Simmers said: “We have lost a colleague and respected member of the greater George community. In life we all strive to uplift ourselves and this is exactly what Daniel did - from his humble beginnings in his political, as well as his personal life.