KNYSNA NEWS - Democratic Alliance (DA) Knysna constituency head Dion George welcomed the newly sworn in Proportional Representative (PR) Councillor Julie Seton to the DA Knysna Municipality caucus this week, amidst some confusion surrounding her two surnames and how she came to be elected without being on the IEC list.
Seton was sworn in at the Knysna municipal council chambers on Friday 18 June, replacing former Proportional Councillor Michelle Wasserman who resigned from the Knysna Council last month. Wasserman remains a member of the DA.
In a statement on Friday, George said Julie Seton obtained an LLB degree at Unisa and has been practising as an advocate of the High Court since 1997. "She developed an interest in politics and public administrations when her spouse became the deputy mayor of Knysna in 2012," George said.
"Julie has been a DA activist since 2012 and in 2018 she assumed a temporary position as administrator of the planning tribunal in Knysna where she gained valuable experience of municipal administrative processes."
He said the DA in Knysna is confident that Seton will add value to the Knysna Caucus and play her part in taking the town back for the DA in the upcoming elections.
Names
Knysna Municipality posted on its Facebook page that Julie Anne Lopes (Seton) was sworn in on Friday 18 June.
Clarifying the two surnames on Facebook, Seton said she did tell the speaker of Council, Mertle Gombo, that she wants to be referred to by her maiden name, Seton, which is the name she practises under. "My surname on my ID is Lopes from my previous marriage but I will be serving as Councillor Seton. Just to clear up any confusion," she said.
Next on the list
Asked what process was followed to select Seton for the position, George responded that she was "next on the list''. Seton's spouse, Esme Jeffreys (formerly Edge) also confirmed on social media that Seton was ''next in line'' on the DA Proportional Representative (PR) list after Wasserman's resignation. Seton also used the surname Jeffreys during a brief stint as a freelance reporter at KPH.
When KPH sent the IEC list to George showing that Seton had not been included on the list of candidates, George sent an old list back which included her name insisting she was next on the list.
When it was put to George that on his list, numbers 1 to 6 were already, or had been in Council and that the next eligible person on the list for PR selection would thus be Nomabongo Mani and not Seton, George responded that Mani was not available and thus Seton came into contention.
When informed that Seton, Esme Jeffreys and Anthony Stone all withdrew as contenders in 2016 and have not been on the list since and asked how someone who does not feature on the list, can be considered to be "next on the list", George said, "Julie Seton was next on the list. That is my final answer."
In an article published by KPH on 14 June 2016, Seton asked that her name be removed from the PR list.
'Blacks need to know their place'
Knysna United chair Ralph Stander in a statement on Monday said Seton was not on the list of PR councillors and the people on the DA's list were Jan Davids and Nomabhongo Mani.
"Blacks need to know their place in the DA,'' he commented, "first they had to step aside for Michelle Wasserman who was not on the list, and now they have to step aside for Seton who is also not listed."
He said black people must open their eyes as they are nothing to the DA.
"The DA thinks nothing of black people, all black people are and will be is the boy of the master," he said.
George said Stander is wrong. ''Seton is next on the list and it's that simple," he said.
Knysna Municipality congratulated Seton on Facebook. "Councillor Lopes (Seton) brings with her a wealth of knowledge and is a practising advocate. We are confident that the greater Knysna will benefit from her expertise during her time on Council," read the post.
Seton did not respond to questions regarding these issues sent to her by KPH.
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