George Council: Winner takes it all

GEORGE NEWS - All eyes will be on the George Council this morning when a show of hands could see a sudden shift in power in town from the DA to the ANC.

Two motions of no confidence are being submitted by the ANC - one against Speaker Gerrit Pretorius, the other against Deputy Mayor Charlotte Clarke.

The DA's dilemma could lie in numbers. The total number of councillors is 49. With four vacancies in the DA benches following the ousting of former mayor Melvin Naik and three other DA councillors, the DA is left with just 24 councillors, which means they are one vote short of a majority.

But, as the speaker is allowed two votes, they can reach the 25 votes needed for a DA majority vote, if all the DA councillors vote against the ANC's motions.

However, there is a real possibility that at least one of the DA councillors may abstain from voting or join the ranks of the opposition, which would leave the DA with only 24 votes.

To secure 25 votes or more, the DA would have to ask voting favours from opposition parties - in all likelihood the ACDP and FF Plus. On the other hand, the ANC sports 17 councillors, but will count on six of the eight opposition votes.

This will give them a total of 23. Should a rogue councillor in the DA camp vote with the opposition and the ACDP and FF Plus abstain from voting, George will have a hung council, with 24 votes each.

Charlotte Clarke Photo: Michelle Pienaar

Code level orange
The danger level for the ruling party is currently orange, not red, says DA Regional Chair Jaco Londt. "However, there is danger. If all the smaller parties vote with the ANC, they have a majority. We will then work hard to win the by-elections and regain our majority. However, we trust there are parties who, despite the recent challenges in George, would rather see a council led by the DA than the ANC."

On Wednesday Speaker Gerrit Pretorius was confident that the ANC's motions were doomed to fail.

From left are Johan du Toit (ACDP), Gert van Niekerk (FF Plus), Virgill Gericke (PBI), Nomawethu Jantjies-Gushman (ANC) and Langa Langa (ANC).

ANC has field day
Asked why the ANC has no faith in the Speaker and Deputy Mayor's abilities to lead council, ANC Chief Whip Nomawethu Jantjies-Gushman said the Speaker "fails to deal with issues in his mandate".

She referred to DA Councillor Cecil Noble's alleged electricity theft, saying he was found guilty of contravening the code of conduct for councillors and has accepted a payment agreement, "which on its own is an admission of guilt".

"He [the Speaker] has no control over his own council agenda, he keeps bringing back items that served before Council and have been resolved, because [MP Anton] Bredell tells him to," said Jantjies-Gushman. "The Deputy Mayor is clueless as to what her role is. She interferes in administration."

Nomawhetu Jantjies-Gushman

Hardly surprising, ANC MP Cameron Dugmore is visiting the area in his capacity as ANC Western Cape Head of Governance, joined by ANC Western Cape Coordinator Ronalda Nalumango and ANC Provincial Interim Committee member Valerie Pungupungu. The three are assessing the situation at local municipalities in the region, including George.

Asked for her take on today's motions, Nalumango said the ANC sees the motions in a serious light.

"It's clear the DA is imploding, with different factions openly fighting each other. The ANC in the Western Cape is concerned about the implications for service delivery. Residents cannot be shortchanged because of the DA's infighting," she said.

Gerrit Pretorius (left) and legal adviser Johan van Schalkwyk.
Photos: Michelle Pienaar