The Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus in the Cape Town city council has chosen councillor Dan Plato as replacement for Helen Zille in the post of mayor, DA chief whip Anthea Serritslev said on Tuesday.
”Caucus elected him as our candidate yesterday evening,” she said.
Plato, who is currently mayoral committee (mayco) member for service delivery integration, beat three other contenders for the post.
One of the three, mayco member for finance Ian Nielson, got the nod as deputy mayor instead.
A special council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday to elect and install the new mayor.
The DA does not have a clear majority on the council, but Serritslev said it had already been given ”an indication” from some of its partners in the city government that they would support Plato and Nielson.
”We do have sufficient support to be confident that councillor Plato will move forward as mayor,” she said.
The African Christian Democratic Party’s Grant Haskin currently holds the deputy mayor’s post, but the DA has accused the party of breaches of trust.
Zille was sworn in as Western Cape premier last week after her party thrashed the African National Congress in the April 22 elections in the province. — Sapa