SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - Former Hessequa Speaker Andrew Stroebel (DA) was inaugurated earlier this afternoon as the new mayor of Garden Route District Council. The new deputy mayor is Vlancio Donson (Icosa) and the chief whip Monique Simmers (DA).
The election of all three was uncontested and they were the only nominees for the positions after the ANC walked out of the meeting. They left in response to Speaker Georlene Wolmarans overruling ANC chief whip Clodia Lechaba's motion for exigency, questioning the way the meeting had been called.
Lechaba said nine ANC councillors were not able to come to the meeting because they did not get sufficient notice. After a 10-minute caucus break to the ANC, Lechaba took the matter up with the Speaker again, stating that they had received agendas only yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.
"If we were given the right notification, we would have been here. We only knew yesterday this [election of the political leadership] is the business of the day," said Lechaba.
When Wolmarans called out a vote of hands on whether the meeting should go ahead, the ANC objected, saying that the new councillors who were not inaugurated yet were not allowed to vote.
Wolmarans again overruled, adamant that the councillors had already been elected in the election and that the inauguration was only ceremonial. The result of the vote was 22 in favour of continuting with the meeting and 9 against.
New mayor to focus on service delivery
In his acceptance speech, Stroebel said the council will focus on enhancing service delivery, improving infrastructure and fostering sustainable economic development.
He said the members of his mayoral committee are selected not by loyalty, but by performance. "I will reconsider my mayco each quarter solely based on performance. The message can't be clearer, shape up or sit out."
In May, before the national elections, Stroebel was promoted from Democratic Alliance (DA) constituency chairperson for Hessequa to election manager for the greater eastern region for 2024, which includes various constituencies.
At the time, Suid-Kaap Forum editor Hugo Redelinghuys reported that Stroebel denied rumours that his position as Speaker in Hessequa would be affected. He chaired the Hessequa constituency for the past 11 years.
The DA has praised him for the excellent manner in which he fulfilled his task. He has played various roles in the DA since 2009.
He fills the mayoral seat in the place of Memory Booysen who is now in the Provincial Legislature.
Simmers, wife of Western Cape DA leader Tertuis Simmers, is in the place of former chief whip Cllr B van Noordwyk who was recalled to Hessequa Municipality.
The seat of the deputy mayor was left vacant after the recall of Adv Gert van Niekerk (Freedom Front Plus) by the George Council following the DA dissolving their coalition agreement in George with the VF Plus. Van Niekerk told George Herald this morning he officially finished yesterday (Thursday 4 July). He is aiming to open up his legal practice again after more eight years of active involvement in politics.
New councillors inaugurated
New councillors inaugurated at the meeting are Cllrs Sumeia Ndayi (DA), Iona Kritzinger (DA), Daniel Cronje (DA), Monique Simmers (DA) and J Hoogbaard.
Cllr S Mangxaba from the ANC's inauguration did not take place.
VIDEO: Watch an excerpt from new GRDM Mayor Andrew Stroebel's acceptance speech:
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