Simmers discusses DA plans

Next year's local government elections will be a pivotal point for the DA across the East Region and the Western Cape, said Tertuis Simmers, the newly elected chairman of the region.

He spoke at the party's East Region conference on Saturday, 7 November where the new leadership was elected. Simmers was elected unopposed to take the place of Jaco Londt, who did not make himself available for re-election.

Simmers applauded the team that not only led them into making electoral history in the 2019 elections, but also had to manage brand-damaging low points due to illdiscipline in certain constituencies.

Referring to the approaching DA provincial congress on 21 November, he said members must ensure that they vote, in all positions, for candidates who have proven track records that have been tested against DA values and whose track records show they can be trusted to act in the interests of the DA Western Cape.

"We are not members of members; we are members of the DA. Period," he stressed.

He asked the party to march to the 10 by-elections as a unified region to retain the wards. Each one of them is a building block to gain momentum for the DA's journey to the local government elections of 2021.

"Let us now externally focus on the fundamentals in each of our wards, in each corner of our region for the local general elections 2021."

Simmers stressed the responsibility to continue building the DA across the East Region.

Photos: Eugene Gunning Tertuis Simmers, new chair of the DA east region, with his proud parents Fredrika and Alfred Simmers. Anton Bredell (left) one of the federal chairmen of the DA and Anton Dellemijn, member of the Mossel Bay Council, greet each other at the conference.