KNYSNA NEWS – Not only is this year's municipal council the most diverse yet, it also features a ground-breaking individual in the form of Jason White, who is the youngest individual ever to be elected to the council of Knysna Municipality.
White (23) earned his seat on council during the 2021 local government elections as a proportional representative (PR) councillor, courtesy of the DA winning three PR seats.
He was the fourth candidate on the DA's PR list, but seeing as Levael Davis (first on the list) was elected as Ward 1 councillor, the third PR seat for the DA belonged to White.
His formative years
White is as born and bred Knysna as one can get, having been born at the Knysna Provincial Hospital and raised in Hornlee.
His schooling years were split between Hornlee Primary School (up until Grade 9) and Knysna Secondary School (KSS) where he was deputy head boy. White was seemingly always one step ahead of his colleagues, and in 2015 he matriculated at the age of 17.
During his time at KSS he served on the representative council of learners, the school's environmental organisation and the local Rotary Interact Club. Shortly after matriculating, he joined the DA in 2018 and was elected to the Knysna Youth Council in the same year.
Further political growth
On the youth council he served on the portfolio committee for social development as well as the disciplinary committee. He further represented the Knysna Youth Council at the Western Cape Provincial Youth Parliament in 2019, where he highlighted the institutional exclusion of capable young people from positions of power and decision-making.
Later appointed as administrator of the DA's Knysna Constituency office, he provided administrative support to the local DA executive committee and its caucus. He previously served as the deputy chairperson of recruitment and campaigns for the DA Youth in the Western Cape East Region, and is currently the deputy chairperson of administration for the DA Youth in the region. He also serves on the local DA constituency executive committee.
Other key work
He has served as the public and stakeholder relations officer for the Knysna police's Youth Crime Prevention Desk, was elected to the management board of Child Welfare South Africa (Knysna) in 2019, and the board of directors of the Greater Knysna Business Chamber in 2020.
White is also the co-founder of Sakhiseni South Africa, a non-profit company founded on the principles of civic duty, friendship, compassion and responsibility. White is set to resume his distance learning studies in public management to participate fully and make a meaningful contribution to council.
The honour bestowed on White
The importance of being Knysna's youngest-ever councillor is not lost on White. "It's a great honour for me. It's about time that we young people who are able to lead and have the capabilities drive the youth agenda that we have in place. I'm very grateful to my party, and of course to the voters who gave us the mandate to lead, and I'm very excited for the next five years," he told KPH.
White believes the election of a young individual such as himself was long overdue.
"For a number of years the council has tried to drive a youth agenda, but they haven't quite got the knack of it, so it's about time that we bring young people in who are able to contribute to that discussion and to that change," he said. "You can't have a discussion about young people, without them, so representation is very important."
Further, he believes that the future of politics in Knysna lies with the youth.
"The response that I've received from the public, especially the youth, has been overwhelming. It shows that younger people want to get involved, and that's the message I want to leave for the youth - get involved, don't wait for anyone else. Be the change that you want."
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