End of the road for City mayor Dan Plato as he fails to make cut
MAYOR Dan Plato will not continue his run in office after he failed to make the cut as the DA's mayoral candidate for the City.
His party did not reelect him, with the DA instead putting forward Geordon Hill-Lewis as its man to contest the upcoming local government elections.
The announcement was made by DA leader John Steenhuisen.
Lewis was seen as a party front-runner after former DA provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela resigned following allegations that he lied in his CV about having a university degree.
“Should the DA succeed at the upcoming local government elections, I have no doubt that our residents will continue to place their trust in us.
“Mr Hill-Lewis will be taking over the best run City in South Africa and be in the best position to take the City and our residents forward to even greater heights,” said Plato.
Meanwhile the ANC's Dullah Omar Region saw dramatic scenes play out over the candidates list, as was the case in other provinces, with riotous members who did not make the cut allegedly barging into the Regional Interview and Vetting Panel (RIVP) chairperson's family home, intimidating her.
According to Vuyiso Tyhalisisu, secretary for the ANC Dullah Omar, the incident happened at the weekend ahead of the conclusion of the local government elections candidate selection process.
Tyhalisisu said they received reports that a large group of people demanding to be included on the candidate lists arrived at the chairperson's home, intimidating and threatening her along with her family.
By the time police were called to attend to the group of people, they had already gone away.
“The ANC is shocked and disappointed by the abhorrent behaviour of some of our members who have launched a campaign to threaten and intimidate.
“The candidate selection process has proceeded in this region under the leadership and guidance of the IPC and in line with the ANC candidate selection rules.”
He said all candidates were fairly and transparently nominated and subjected to a community vote.
ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said channels for managing disputes were an integral part of the party's candidate selection processes.
“Members or structures can, where necessary, formally raise grievances with the process.
“Various structures have dealt with appeals and disputes throughout the process, often under tight deadlines imposed by Covid-19 restrictions. A number of members have highlighted their disputes at ANC offices, nationally and provincially.”
Mabe said the Electoral Committee dispute resolution structures would continue to consider any serious disputes within the prescribed timeframes, even after the registration of ANC candidates yesterday.