Knysna voters elected DA, not individual

KNYSNA NEWS - The DA Western Cape Provincial Leader Bonginkosi Madikizela has issued a statement pledging his support for the Motion of No Confidence in Mayor Mark Willemse, which will be tabled by the DA Knysna councillors today.

In the statement he says it is the duty of Councillors to ensure that the mandate afforded to the party by the voters, is implemented and executed, which is why they have decided to take action on behalf of the residents of Knysna in the interest of service delivery.

“Last year Mayor Willemse and Councillor Myers, made a decision to go against their caucus and against a request by the leadership and voted with the ANC in a MONC to remove the DA Mayor. In the process, Willemse accepted and got elected as Mayor by a majority of ANC councillors. He has since been kept in his position by the ANC and we expect the ANC to support him in this motion today, he is effectively an ANC mayor.

“This underhanded move by Willemse resulted in a loss of confidence in him as Mayor which was further exacerbated by the fact that he remains in power through the ANC’s support.

“We want to make it clear that voters elected the DA, not an individual, to govern the town of Knysna because of our track record on good governance and service delivery. These actions by Councillor Myers and Mayor Willemse hinders the ability of the council to deliver to the people Knysna.

“A person cannot execute the duties of a Mayor if he/she does not have the support of their party, councillors and officials. The work of this municipality must not stand still and it is crucial that a clear strategy with decisive leadership be restored, so that the issues facing the community of Knysna can be addresses. It is for this reason that we support this MONC so once again the people of Knysna can trust their municipality to deliver on their mandate.”

The outcome of the MONC will be published here as soon as it becomes known.

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