The Democratic Alliance’s Helen Zille became Cape Town’s new mayor on Wednesday after a council meeting, held to elect a mayor, a speaker as well as other portfolios.
Zille replaces African National Congress mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo. She was elected by 106 votes to 103 votes.
Making multiparty democracy succeed in Cape Town will be a huge challenge, Zille said in her acceptance speech.
”Our great challenge in Cape Town is to ensure that our diversity is not a weakness but what we claim it to be, our greatest strength,” she told her fellow councillors. ”We can make it work.”
Speaking in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa, she said the people of Cape Town have chosen a diverse group of parties to lead them. Some will be in the government, others in opposition.
”Each role is crucially important,” she said.
Multiparty democracy cannot succeed if people follow their own, one-sided political agendas.
She called on all parties to work together for the good of ”this great city” and all its people.
Deputy
The ID’s Cape Town mayoral candidate, Simon Grindrod, lost out to the African Christian Democratic Party in the contest for deputy mayor on Wednesday.
The ACDP’s Andrew Arnolds won by 105 votes to 104 in the ballot, which followed the election of Zille as mayor.
Freedom Front Plus councillor Dirk Smit was elected as speaker.
The ID voted with the ANC throughout the day’s proceedings, in which the tension was almost palpable.
The DA has 90 seats in the 210-member council, the ANC 81 and the ID 23. The remaining seats are held by the ACDP and smaller parties.
Comment
The ANC congratulated Zille on her election as mayor in a statement, saying it also commends the newly elected members of the Cape Town metropolitan council for respecting the democratic selection process.
”In accordance with its manifesto and mandate, the ANC will continue to work with other parties to unite the people of Cape Town, promote effective local governance, contribute to the greater involvement of communities in local decision-making, and work to meet the needs of all the city’s residents.
”The period ahead will be challenging for all the parties represented in the metro council. For its part, the ANC is committed to playing a constructive role in bringing about meaningful change in the lives of the people of Cape Town.”
The United Democratic Movement said in a statement that it welcomes the appointment of Zille. ”Those who now run the Cape Town government will now turn immediately to the business of serving the electorate and addressing the various service-delivery challenges facing the city; housing, electricity and corruption, to name but a few.
”The UDM is glad that it is part of the solution. We are proud of, and salute, the conduct of the forum of smaller parties, who during these negotiations were more concerned with the interests of the voters and good governance than some others who were bickering about positions.”
The FF Plus said it welcomes the election of Smit as speaker.
”The election of Mr Smit as speaker clearly proves that smaller opposition parties do indeed play an important role in the current South African political system.
”The party is confident that Mr Smit is sufficiently competent to fulfil the position of speaker with great success, as he clearly proved immediately after being elected as speaker by finding a useful solution to the impasse reached in electing a new mayor for the Cape Town Metro,” the FF+ said.
The FF Plus said it had already prior to the election indicated that the party was prepared to cooperate with other political parties in an effort to form new municipal councils. It is, however, not prepared, due to this cooperation, to be swallowed by any other party, dominated by or be co-opted into its caucus.
”The election of Mr Smit as speaker is further also proof that the proportional electoral system ensures the fair participation of minority groups and minority communities in the political system in this country.”
‘Sabotage’
Earlier on Wednesday, the DA accused the ANC and the Independent Democrats of trying to sabotage the crucial council meeting.
The accusation came after the ANC and ID lost the vote for speaker to the candidate backed by the DA, the FF+’s Smit.
The ANC and ID then called for an adjournment so they could caucus.
According to DA spokesperson Ryan Coetzee in a statement issued just before 1pm, the two parties ”left the chamber and are now refusing to return”.
”They have hijacked the PAC [Pan Africanist Congress] councillor, who now cannot be found. As a consequence, the council meeting cannot proceed because the rules state that there must be 106 people in the chamber in order for the meeting to go ahead,” he said.
The sole PAC representative on the council, Bennett Joco, had apparently abstained in the vote for the speaker. Had he voted with the ANC, there would have been a tie.
As it was, Smit got 105 votes and ANC nominee Gavin Paulse 104.
”The ANC and the ID … need to accept the outcome of a democratic election, come back into the chamber and let democracy take its course,” said Coetzee. ”This has been a disgraceful display of anti-democratic behaviour.” — Sapa, I-Net Bridge