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Council moves at snail's pace

Council moves at snail's pace
 
2006-03-30

Susan Botha

THERE they were back again, for round two of the new Drakenstein Council.

At the second meeting last week, the councillors had to elect representatives for the district council and hear who Mayor Charmaine Manuel had selected for the Mayoral Committee.

But all 61 councillors were not there: con-spicuous in their absence were seven of the ten ID members.

The meeting started a few minutes after two, probably to give latecomers a chance to arrive.

In the end the ANC had no choice but to ask for a recess, for without the ID’s seven members they had no clear majority and could not go ahead with the vote.

Speaker Pele Mgajo granted their request for a forty-five minute recess.

Rumours were rife: that ID leader Patricia de Lille had suspended the seven members; that the councillors were taking her to court; that there was to be a new mayoral election; that Council was to get a new deputy member in place of Councillor Jackie Noland of the ID.

Just before 15:00, the seven absentee Councillors arrived, a bit subdued.

They took their places without a word and when the DA asked for an apology, Councillor Arthob Petersen (ANC) pointed out that he had asked for a recess and no apology was necessary.

Hereupon the Speaker ruled that no further discussion would be allowed and that they would continue with the agenda: the election of delegates to the Cape Wineland District Municipality.

Seven councillors were delegated, four nominated by the ANC and three by the DA.

The ANC’s delegation is David Xhaso, Johannes Thomas and Cynthia Philander, as well as Solomon Ross of the ID.

The DA nominated Jean Smit and Rassie van Zyl, as well as Ronald Brand of Vryheidsfront Plus.

Then should have followed the appointment of the mayoral committee, something everyone was speculating about.

But Mayor Charmaine Manuel postponed this for another week.
The postponement again led to speculation on relations between the ID and the ANC, the general conclusion being that the ID was holding out for more seats in the mayoral committee.

Lastly a councillor was appointed to act as executive mayor in absence of the Executive Mayor and Deputy Executive Mayor. The mantle fell on the shoulders of Councillor Arthob Petersen.

Quipped DA councillor Deetlefs du Toit: “We are all well aware of Councillor Petersen’s travels. The chance that he will be out of town as well, is great!”

Petersen replied: “The ANC is a party that applies its mind to a matter.”

On that note the meeting was adjourned until this afternoon at 14:00, when it is expected that the members of the Mayoral Committee will be announced.

* In the meantime the Boland District Council has still not convened as the three ID candidates of Breede Valley (Worcester) have blocked the council meetings with a court order against their suspension by De Lille. A verdict is expected by 28 April.



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