KNYSNA NEWS - Former DA Ward 11 councillor Lorraine Opperman will be representing the ANC in the wards by-election on 21 April.
Opperman's DA membership was terminated after she voted with the ANC, Cope and KUC coalition on a motion by the DA during a council meeting in February. According to Opperman, she only learnt about the termination of her membership from the DA after being called to look on Facebook.
"I was attending a funeral when one of the DA councillors called on me to sign some documents and I did not know what I was signing. She did not even tell me what the papers were about and I went back to the funeral...," she said.
She said she had a busy schedule after the funeral and the following day was laundry day. "I received a call from someone asking me if I have seen on Facebook that I was fired by the DA. It was then that I knew of the matter, I checked the papers which stated that I had only 24 hours to respond explaining why my membership should not be terminated. By then the 24 hours had lapsed," she said.
"I was good enough to make the DA win the ward in 2019, now I am not good enough."
According to DA Knysna constituency head Dion George, however, the letter was handed to Opperman on Saturday morning outside her home as she was on her way to the funeral and the fact that she had 24 hours to respond was explained and emphasised.
On Tuesday, Opperman confirmed that she will be representing the ANC and said she will do everything in her power to make sure that the DA does not win the ward.
Opperman will be competing against the DA's Jack Simons, Ghita Holtzhauzen of the EFF and a candidate for the ACDP. The ACDP expects to be able to announce their candidate next week.
Good Party Knysna convener John Pienkies Williams announced that they will not be taking part in the Ward 11 by-elections and advised Good members not to make bad choices, "but rather make no choice".
Williams said this means that they are calling on their supporters not to vote in the by-elections, but rather make sure they are registered so that they can vote in the local government elections later this year.
"The Good national management committee has decided not to contest any by-elections before the local government elections."
He said the local government elections are a few months away and they are focusing on electing Good councillors who will be able to make a difference over their five-year term.
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