Changes to Knysna mayoral committee
Knysna Municipality announced a few changes to its mayoral committee on Monday 7 January.
Mayor Mark Willemse said the changes are necessary to strengthen its leadership structure in the interest of enhancing its mandate. “I am satisfied that this change will better enable the municipal leadership to achieve our mandate and the strategic goals of this municipality, ensuring continued improvement of service delivery,” he added.
Important changes include two new committee members: Michelle Wasserman, who takes over the Planning and Integrated Human Settlements portfolio; and Levael Davis, who takes over the Technical Services portfolio. Both portfolios were formerly held by Peter Myers.
The new committee is made up as follows:
Levael Davis: technical services
Michelle Wasserman: planning and integrated human settlements
Elrick van Aswegen (deputy mayor): governance and economic development Peter Myers: finance Welcome Salaze: community services (unchanged)
‘Well suited to portfolios’
When contacted for comment, Myers said he welcomes the changes as the individuals appointed are well suited to their portfolios. “I have a financial background and I am a qualified accountant, so the finance committee suits me perfectly.” Myers held the same position during the previous administration when he was deputy mayor. “There’s a lot of work to be done and I look forward to it,” he added.
Michelle Wasserman stated she is “very excited to have the opportunity to implement the DA’s 2016 local government election manifesto goals which are relevant to the Planning and Integrated Human Settlements portfolio”. She stated that these goals include working with the private and nonprofit sectors to ensure that a range of housing opportunities are available for different income levels, and encouraging the development of Gap housing projects to allow those who do not qualify for government housing subsidies, but also cannot access a bank bond, to buy their own homes, among other goals. “I am passionate about the protection of Knysna’s estuary, which forms the basis of our economy and the creation of jobs, and look forward to working with local environmental groups to prevent the pollution of our natural environment,” stated Wasserman.
Levael Davis stated: “Technical Services is a portfolio I am familiar with and will continue to contribute to and focus on enhancing our roads network, improve water reticulation in critical areas, electrification, the effective execution of projects, finding solutions to recurring storm water problem areas and improved service delivery standards.”