Candidates lay out their plans for Ward 11

KNYSNA POLITICAL NEWS - The fight for the control of Knysna Municipality will come to a head tomorrow, Wednesday 21 April, when the Ward 11 by-elections take place.

The by-election follows the DA's termination of Lorraine Opperman's membership after she voted against the DA's motion to curtail the power of the mayor - which resulted in her also losing her seat in council.

The winner of the highly contested by-elections between the ANC and the DA will gain control of the municipality, which is currently led by a coalition of the ANC, Cope and Knysna Unity Congress (KUC).

As the DA holds nine of the 21 seats in the Knysna Council, it needs to win the ward and form a coalition with the ACDP in order to take control of the municipality from the ANC / Cope / KUC-led coalition.

Lorraine Opperman

This week KPH asked some of the candidates who are contesting the by-election what they would prioritise should they win.

Opperman, who has changed shirts from DA blue to ANC gold, said she is ready for the challenge.

“I won’t make any promises to anyone; all I want is a better governance within our municipality. Focus on the poorest of the poor who have been neglected all these year in Knysna,” she said. According to her, the town has deteriorated in the 15 years that it has been under DA control. “These by-elections are a chance for the coloured community to vote for their own,” she said.

EFF’s Ghita Holtzhauzen said she will fight for more sport and recreation centres. “We want information centres and free Wi-Fi in all public spaces,” she said.

She would like to provide land for all the landless and shelter for the homeless. “Each ward needs to have a mobile clinic. As councillor I will be available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I will make sure that all informal settlements have electricity and build more RDP houses,” she said.

The DA's Jack Simons indicated that he will work closely with the police to conduct regular raids on known drug dens. “I will fight to ensure that residents living in informal areas are provided with access to basic water and sanitation. I will lobby to establish a ward councillor container office within the ward so that the residents are able to access me easily when they need my assistance,” he said.

He also intends to combat illegal dumping. “I will work with the municipality to provide skips in the ward for the residents to dispose of their rubbish and for the skips to be emptied and cleaned regularly. I will work towards establishing a trained ward-based volunteer squad to respond to emergency situations so that communities are prepared to immediately respond to disasters.”

ACDP's Aldrick Witbooi said part of his plans is to have meetings with community leaders to ensure accountability and a time for feedback.

"I want to ensure that there are more recreational facilities. I strongly encourage regular public participation on plans to tackle crime, unemployment and other social ills," he said.

Aldrick Witbooi