New Bitou Council promises accountability and transparency

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS – Accountability, transparency and service delivery were some of the promises Bitou's new leaders made to residents after the election of the council's top spots last week.

During its first council meeting since the recent local government elections, on 18 November, the DA's Dave Swart was elected as mayor while the Plett Democratic Congress's (PDC) Claude Terblanche took the position of speaker.

The election left Bitou Municipality as a hung council with the DA winning five out of the 13 available council seats, the ANC four and the Ikhwezi Political Movement (IPM), Patriotic Alliance (PA), PDC and Active United Front (AUF) each securing one. As no party had an outright majority, coalitions needed to be cemented.

The DA, the PDC and the IPM reached an agreement a day before the council meeting.

During the meeting Terblanche and the PA's Michelle Botha were nominated for the position of speaker. Terblanche won out with seven votes against Botha's six.

For the position of mayor, Swart and the IPM's Nokuzola Kolwapi were nominated. Swart received seven votes to Kolwapi's six.

The deputy mayor nominations were the AUF's Mavis Busakwe and the ANC's Nokuthula Seti. Busakwe received seven votes while Seti received six, making Busakwe the new Bitou deputy mayor.

For the position of council whip, the DA's Bill Nel and the ANC's Sandiso Gcabayi were nominated. Nel was elected with seven out of the 13 votes.

During his acceptance speech Swart thanked coalition partners and voters for their support. "Thank you for especially taking time to cast your votes, no matter what party you voted for," he said.

He added that, after listening to the promises made by all political parties during their election campaigns, he was hopeful about the future. "All parties have a common goal of service delivery and improving the lives of those in Bitou." Seeing that six parties are represented in council, Swart believed that all would be serving this common goal.

Bitou's new speaker, Claude Terblanche

About the coalition, Swart said some of the highlights of the agreement was that cultivating a culture of accountability, transparency and good governance would form the foundation of all work to be performed in the municipality. "All acknowledge the value of openness and will ensure the accessibility of information for residents of Bitou."

The agreement also includes the elimination of corruption and maladministration within the municipality, as well as a commitment to rule of law and constitutionalism.

He said they are also driven by the pursuit of excellence, including merit-based appointments and policy making.

Swart thanked all municipal employees that they serve the people of Bitou - the ones who "are paying our salaries". "They deserve to be treated timeously and with dignity. We are committed to serving you, and ask for initial patience. There is much that needs to be prioritised and we will not be able to deal with everything immediately."