DA dominates top posts in Knysna

KNYSNA NEWS – The somewhat haphazard process of choosing Knysna's latest mayor has come to an end with the election of the DA's Levael Davis as the town's new first citizen.

His appointment came during a much-delayed Knysna municipal council meeting on Monday 22 November, which in effect served as the conclusion of the inaugural council meeting held seven days before.

Ward 1 Councillor Davis was the DA's mayoral candidate, and was opposed in the election by the PBI's Alberto Marbi who was put forward as the mayoral candidate in the ANC-PBI-PA coalition. He defeated Marbi with 11 votes to 10.

Knysna's new speaker, deputy mayor and council whip were also appointed. All these positions were won by margins of 11-10, arguably due to the fact that the EFF as kingmakers chose to side with the DA coalition rather than the ANC alliance.

The meeting started at 10:00. Five hours and 10 adjournments for caucus breaks later, Davis was named the new mayor. "We [council] are here together, we are here as a united front, and we are here to tackle the issues in our communities," he said following his election. "I can assure you from my side my door is always open.

"We need to care for everyone in our community, from the most vulnerable to those who have a lot.

"Everyone has different needs and we will make sure that we will be a government that will be able to assist all of our residents."

His election followed the appointment of the DA's Julie Lopes as the speaker in the council four hours earlier. There was one more caucus break (bringing the total to 11 for the day) after the mayoral appointment, after which the council elected its deputy mayor.

Former mayor Mark Willemse, representing the Knysna Independent Movement (KIM), was elected to the position of deputy mayor, defeating the ANC's Aubrey Tsengwa by one vote.

The irony of Willemse being back in the corridors of power as part of a DA coalition after he was drummed out of his mayoral position in 2019 by the same party did not go unnoticed.

The election of the council whip, a first for Knysna, came shortly thereafter. The DA's Hilton Stroebel, Ward 5 Councillor, was elected to the position - defeating the PA's Beauty Charlie. The council meeting also saw the appointment of Alberto Marbi as the chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC).

There was also the matter of electing the council's representatives for the Garden Route District Municipality council, with three seats available. With the EFF's Neil Louw choosing to abstain from voting, the vote was split 10-10 between the DA's and the ANC's nominees.

This saw Hilton Stroebel and Aubrey Tsengwa elected to the first two positions. As the vote was tied, the third seat could not be filled. The process required to fill the surplus seat is yet to be determined.

Knysna's new speaker in council, Julie Lopes. Photo: Blake Linder