Saldanha Bay without deputy mayor as squabbles continue apace

THE Saldanha Bay municipality remains without a deputy mayor after some parties abstained from voting for the DA to take full control.

Saldanha Bay was left hung after no party managed to secure an outright majority during the November 1 local government elections.

On Wednesday, November 17, the municipality inaugurated its council at a ceremony held at the White City Multi-Purpose Centre, where DA councillor Andre Brahm Truter was elected as the new Mayor and Olwene Daniels was re-elected as Speaker. This was after the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) “jumped into bed” with the DA and helped it win the mayoral position.

While Truter appointed his mayco team, Saldanha Bay municipality spokesperson, Ethne Lawrence said: “The Deputy Mayor will be announced soon.”

In a statement, Patriotic Alliance deputy provincial leader Sammy Claasen said: “As you are all aware that no political party received an outright majority of the vote during the elections. The DA did not manage to secure an outright win but rather fell short in numbers and only received 46% of the vote. The Saldanha Bay Municipality consists of 27 council seats. The DA has 13 councillors, the ANC 6, GOOD 4, Patriotic Alliance 1, EFF 1, Freedom Front Plus 1 and Cape Coloured Congress 1. To control the council parties needed 14 votes to elect the Speaker and Mayor.”

The PA, GOOD and EFF abstained. “The ANC voted and was defeated by the coalition vote of the DA and CCC. The Freedom Front Plus allegedly cast a spoiled ballot and the result was 14 for the DA/CCC, 6 ANC, 1 spoiled ballot (Freedom Front Plus) and 6 abstained (GOOD and Patriotic Alliance).”

The CCC said they had not entered a coalition agreement but wanted to keep the ANC out.

“We the CCC have from the outset never hidden the contempt we hold for the ANC. We simply wanted to keep the cancer out of Saldanha, the cancer being your corrupt coalition partner known as the ANC. We have no coalition agreement and no demands for position or money was made. You cannot say the same, because we are not the same,” CCC leader, Fadiel Adams said.

DA spokesperson, Cilliers Brink said: “The process of electing a deputy mayor and the setting up the mayoral committee is an ongoing process and will be done to ensure that the residents of the municipality get the best possible service delivery as well as honest and transparent government.”

GOOD secretary-general, Brett Herron said their default position was not to accept coalition offers but to serve as a constructive opposition.

Freedom Front Plus said: “The Freedom front plus is not in a conflict with the DA in Saldanha and we are in a coalition agreement with the DA and jointly we govern Saldanha and that is the current position, nothing more nothing less.”

The ANC did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.