ANC saved by court verdict
2009-03-26
Sieb Sieberhagen
CITIZENS of Drakenstein can be reasonably certain that the ANC will govern Drakenstein Council until the next municipal elections in two years’ time. Nothing has come of a threatened take-over by the DA coalition, following a Cape High Court decision last week that declared that two councillors (Dawn Jacobs and Eleanore Basson of the WCC) must be replaced by Elizabeth Gayiya and Alec Theo. Judge SA Majiedt gave judgment in the Cape High Court last Thursday regarding the leadership and executive membership of the WCC, following an application by a faction of the party which claimed that decisions taken at a so-called special general meeting of the party in 2007, had been invalid. In his judgment Majiedt agreed that Norman Steyn is no longer acknowledged as leader by the WCC. Jacobs and Basson, who were supported by the Steyn faction, thus lose their places on the proportional representation list of the WCC (and the Drakenstein council). Dr Sidima Kabanyane, municipal manager, informed Jacobs and Basson on Friday that they had lost their positions in the municipal council. All indications are that Gayiya and Theo will side with the ANC in council, which gives the ANC/NPP alliance a majority of 31 against the 30 councillors which support the DA coalition (DA, ID, ACDP and Freedom Front and independent councillor Spasie Kika). Juan Swanepoel, the new leader of the WCC, said that they had not joined any coalition in Paarl and that their main objective was to serve the community. When asked how many members the WCC has, Swanepoel said that he was waiting for the membership list from Norman Steyn, the axed leader. Steyn said he was still considering appealing against the judgement. He told Paarl Post that the WCC, which drew only a handful of votes in Paarl during the last municipal election, has about 800 members.
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