Southern Cape mayors face turbulent times
Fate of Knysna chief hangs in balance
THE KNYSNA Ratepayers Association (KRA) has thrown its weight behind the newly elected mayor Mark Willemse following reports that the DA would begin disciplinary steps to remove him.
The association warned the party that the Eden District town’s residents would punish them severely at the polls.
Willemse was selected by the council last week following the ousting of former mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies after a motion of no confidence by an open vote headed by the ANC.
The opposition party had cited her failure to perform her duties and ensure service delivery before nominating and voting for Willemse as Knysna’s new mayor.
KRA chairperson Chris Gould said: “Willemse’s election by the opposition was unprecedented, as it kept the mayorship with the DA, who do not have a legal basis to remove him and are wasting their time.
“Mr (Bonginkosi) Madikizela does not fully understand the situation, was probably misinformed and our view is that the people of Knysna will severely punish the DA at the polls if they remove our mayor.”
Gould added that the citizens of Knysna would welcome a chance to address Madikizela as previous complaints to DA leaders went unheard.
Madikizela and DA provincial chairperson Anton Bredell visited the Eden District at the weekend and addressed the party’s Knysna caucus.
Bredell had likened the situation to a coup and given Willemse a chance to step down, which he defied, saying he had not received any formal instruction from the DA but was under severe pressure from the leadership to step down.
“I think this situation could have been handled in a different way and to the benefit of the people of Knysna. I’ve been heartened by the public backing I’ve received and remain committed to moving forward in the best interest of the citizens of Knysna,” Willemse said.
Madikizela said he would visit the Southern district to address the situation where party members had acted untoward.
“We have decided not to begin formal disciplinary procedures and hope to resolve the situation amicably by giving him (Willemse) yet another opportunity to step down.
“Any member of the DA coming to power because of the ANC needs serious examination, and anyone believing they did it in the best interests of Knysna was naive,” Madikizela said.
He said this related also to George mayor Melvin Naik, who he said had made “unacceptable” comments about next week’s Boston Gay Choir concert.
Naik told Heartbeat FM on Tuesday he had heard that the event was taking place under the George municipality banner, but due to his “Christian convictions”, it did not have his approval.
Abel Kiwit, leader of the George African Independent Congress, said some DA councillors were planning to table a motion of no confidence against Naik.