The DA has announced its mayoral candidates for Western Cape municipalities, with the exception of one notable name — that of newly elected party leader and Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
He disclosed that he is still undergoing the party’s internal screening and vetting process that determines the eligibility of party members to be fielded as potential mayors.
“Congratulations on coming through this process. It is a rigorous process — I am also personally going through the same process, so I know what you’ve been through. But I know how fair and rigorous the DA’s processes are.”
However, Hill-Lewis did not fall short of sharing his love for the current post he holds as mayor, calling it the best job in South African politics.
“When I went on the campaign trail straight after the congress last week, nearly every concern raised related to a local government matter. It is the heartbeat of politics. This is why I love being a mayor so much: it is such a great job in South African politics because you can address those concerns directly.”
He urged voters to consider their package of 11 mayoral candidates presented in the province before the upcoming municipal polls. The group announced was visibly male-dominated, with only one woman nominated as a candidate.
“Every election boils down to a fundamental choice. A choice between going backwards and going forwards — that is the choice every South African faces in every town and city in the country in this election,” Hill-Lewis said.
“The next few months I’m going to be hard at work on the campaign trail. It’s about getting out there into the streets, getting to know every person on every street, every ward, every community, every block and every issue they face.
“If you win the trust and support of the public, then the hard work really begins. You’ll then have to demonstrate the DA difference in government. We expect our representatives to hold themselves to an unmistakeably high ethical standard and moral code; we do not want anyone to look at a DA government and not be able to tell a difference from those we are trying to replace.”
The full list of candidates announced on Tuesday:
- Bitou: Jessica Kamkam
- Bergrivier: Mario Wessels
- Cape Agulhas: Raymond Ross
- Drakenstein: Stephen Korabie
- Garden Route District: Marais Kruger
- George: Browen Johnson
- Matzikama: Richard van Huyssteen
- Overstrand: Clinton Lerm
- Swartland: Harold Cleophas
- Stellenbosch: Jeremy Fasser
- Witzenberg: Trevor Abrahams
These are all municipalities that are already DA-run governments, which the party says it has carefully selected to ensure continuity of governance.
DA federal chair Solly Msimanga said the project of appointing mayoral candidates was a marker of the party’s progress, and it would be fitting to introduce the figures that would help propel them forward.
“I’ve always said our cities and municipalities in the local government sphere are engines of growth. It is therefore important that where we are lubricating these engines to run, we do that with an understanding that when they fail, provinces fail — and when provinces fail, South Africa fails, and when that happens, dare I say, Africa fails,“ Msimanga said.
It was necessary to get it right from the local vantage point.
“This is why the DA is the only political party that can, a year or months in advance, present what it is putting forward and our people, and the public can go and assess who they are and what they are all about. We are not scared of putting our best out there and allowing them to be scrutinised,” Msimanga said.
“We understand that we need captains of these engines at a local level to be able to drive the sort of change we want to see happen, the sort of involvement and development that should take place at a local level, which then contributes to a provincial level and ultimately to where we want to see South Africa going.
“In the DA, we allow systems to kick in where proper vetting takes place and a process where, ultimately, when you are able to get somebody elected, you know they have gone through rigorous testing and assessment to ensure that we can present them to the residents of that municipality and also to the people of South Africa.”
DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said the cohort announced are leaders ready to serve, work and deliver.
“We all understand that local government is ultimately where politics becomes personal. It is also the road you drive on, whether water flows when you open the tap, where your streetlights must work, where your refuse must be collected regularly and whether your family feels safe at home.”
Simmers said the calibre of leadership deployed determined the average daily experience of residents.
“South Africans know the truth. They understand that when municipalities fail, communities suffer. We believe that people deserve towns and, in our case, five districts and 30 municipalities that must work for all our people.”
TimesLIVE
Sisanda Mbolekwa
www.timeslive.co.za