REGIME CHANGE
DA ousted by ANC-majority coalition in Plettenberg Bay’s Bitou
Claude Terblanche is the new mayor of the Bitou municipality following three motions of no confidence in the DA-led leadership on Friday. This is the culmination of a week’s political upheaval in the Western Cape coastal municipality.
Plettenberg Bay has a new mayor in Claude Terblanche. On Friday 2 February, during several motions of no confidence tabled in council, Terblanche was voted into office.
Terblanche, up until Friday morning, was the council speaker and his party played a role in the removal of the governing Democratic Alliance-led council.
As Daily Maverick reported on Thursday, Terblanche’s party — the Plett Democratic Congress (PDC) — was in a coalition with the DA and the Active United Front (AUF) to govern the coastal municipality since the conclusion of the 2021 municipal elections. The PDC broke the coalition over claims of a lack of cooperation and communication breakdown from the coalition partners.
Before the motions, Dave Swart (DA) was mayor, Mavis Busakwe (AUF) was deputy mayor and Terblanche was Speaker. Whip Annelise Olivier (DA) completed the municipality’s senior political leadership.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Another DA council under threat as Plettenberg Bay’s Bitou faces three motions of no confidence
In a council meeting that had three caucus breaks before the vote, it came down to voting for Terblanche or ousted mayor Swart DA to become the mayor of the coastal municipality in the Garden Route. In the 13-seat council, Terblanche received seven votes against Swart’s six votes.
In the council chambers, there was huge applause for Terblanche as he was officially confirmed as the new mayor by municipal manager Mbulelo Memani.
In a Facebook post after his ousting from office, Swart said: “I want to thank all who offered messages of support for their confidence in me. I still remain in council as Ward 2 Councillor and will continue to serve the citizens of this ward and other wards where able”.
Other new changes in the council include Nokuzola Kolwapi from the Ikhwezi Political Movement being elected deputy mayor.
Samkele Mangxaba (ANC) was elected council whip and Sandiso Gcabayi (ANC) – the councillor who submitted the motions of no confidence requests – is the new Speaker. DM
Will we ever get people in power that care? Seems not.
This is a deeply concerning trend where mickey-mouse parties are awarded top positions by the ANC in exchange for their vote. The complaint against the DA rings hollow when you look at the mayoral position awarded to Terblanche in favor of selling his vote (soul?). The PDC voters now sit with the ANC and it will come down on their heads. People should really take note how small-party politicians take them for a ride to fame and money.
Is this the future of the MPC , with smaller parties joining this could be the result ,in either National or Provincial govt. They should rethink what criteria they use for membership and a robust internal dispute mechanism so you do not have situations like this.
I don’t think any of the parties mentioned here are MPC members. The point of the MPC is to have a signed, publicly transparent agreement ahead of the elections. The DA’s tabled legislation around coalitions includes a requirement for such agreements to be legally binding and for motions of no confidence to be more restrained and only for negligence. It will also institute a threshold that will limit the number of smaller parties. That will all collectively reduce the opportunities for these kinds of rogue partners to cross over and take power.
I believe we need a change in our municipal voting system. Apparently in Scandinavian the system only allows representation by parties with at least 2%of the vote. This prevents some of the farcical situations as we have in Johannesburg where a mayor had less than 1%of the votes cast and was a puppet of the ANC.
Surely we need greater ethics and mortality and an elected official (such as Terblanche) should be required to step if he deviates from his elected mandate. If the people who voted for Terblanche wanted to be involved with the ANC they would have voted for the party, not now being at the whim of a sellout.
Mortality? Freudian slip
Yup, SA full of smart ass citizens with nothing to offer.
The DA and ANC are both in support of new legislation for a 1% threshold (it was debated and 2% was somehow unpalatable or “undemocratic” according to niche parties – go figure).
The community gets what it deserves……even if is is a nonsense
Qualifications and experience?
From his Facebook page:
Fieldmarketer at Tigerbrands Ltd.
Former Mechandiser at Patleys
Studied Sports Management and Coaching at South Cape College
Went to Plettenbergbay Secondary School
Compared to most ANC supported candidates, he is president material. Nothing for Plett residents to worry about then.
“Studied Sports Management and Coaching at South Cape College”
Completed?? There is a difference…
As such , the people have spoken , democracy .
If they want to continue the struggle ‘ for ‘ ? Carry on .
51 years ago, was bit different, felt the locals had a point , after time .
Never heard about 76 stuff while passing bye to Jhb !
Television came later .
Got my only vote in 94, other side of town , Zim skeptics , cannot go that way .
Wrong !
There goes Plett…
Hey that’s not fair… I mean look at the amazing job the ANC did in….er…. in…. um…. er….
ok, shit, you’re 100% right.
I could literally not think of one single town the ANC has managed to improve since they took over.
Yup… there goes Plett.
More people going to be migrating to CT I guess!
These rent seeking small parties need to be outlawed. They constantly jump from one side to the other depending on who offers the most gravy.
Let the looting commence.
Love my tender
Love my truth
All my pockets filled full
Oh my darling
I need food
And I always will
Brilliant 😂
The DA has a big problem with managing coalitions. One gets a clear impression that they don’t understand how democracy works. This especially applies to Helen Zille. In democratic doctrine compromise is crucial, because governance has to be representative of the population, not just of the ruling party. Yet the DA, but especially Helen Zille, forces the DA down onto any coalition partners that the DA manages to muster. There is ample evidence of that, and also that that is the reason that these coalitions then falter. Yet then the DA always try to accuse those who turn against them of being corrupt; that is not democratic practice, it is nationalist, because that is what nationalists always do. It was also what the National Party always did when their programmes did not work. And now the DA always blame the smaller political parties of what they (the DA) is actually doing. Whether they like it or not, these smaller political parties and community organisations form the backbone of the democratic process. And which is more, the DA keeps paying lip service to condemning the ANC, but in many of the immoral acts of the ANC, the DA actually follow the leadership of the ANC (only without admitting it). A very good example is when the DA did the unthinkable in building open-air toilets in Cape Town (I think it was in Kayalitsha) in round and about 2008. When confronted with the immorality of it all, Helen Zille immediately justified it by saying that the ANC also did it in another municipality (which was true, but that is no reason for the DA to follow suit, let alone using the ANC example to justify it). So unless alternatives are found for BOTH DA and ANC, South Africa is in deep, deep trouble.
No. They don’t understand how perception works (especially in a hyper-racial SA). They do understand how democracy works and that is why they voice their democratic right to freedom of speech. The problem is that SA is top heavy on the ignorant.
My gosh, Indid not think it was possible to use the letters DA in an incoherent rant, obviously I was wrong.
Agree totally.
Please DM is it possible to insist that DM insiders use the full names in their comment as on their ID. The same as journalists have to do. It is election time and you are going to be used by some
I disagree. Helen Zille has said many times that the DA would rather be an effective opposition than an ineffective government. If holding a coalition together requires compromising on their values, principles, and good governance, then they are not interested. The lessons were learned in Ekhurhuleni, Joburg and elsewhere that the EFF, PA, and others are only after positions and will sell their votes to the highest bidder. That’s no way to co-govern and I think it’s laudable that the DA does not stand for such nonsense or compromise itself by given into the whims of kingmakers to keep flimsy coalitions together.
The alternatives are there. I joined Rise Mzansi when they formed and I must say their processes are impressive. From community consultation and involvement to community upliftment, campaigning ,policy development, inclusivity and communication, all finally made me feel like I have a political home. If more people would rather join and experience the positivity of this movement rather than just dismissing any new political party off the bat then we can actually change this country’s trajectory
Shame, inadequate schooling. Paragraphs are obviously not your thing. But hey, in SA we have deeper issues than Western grammatical norms. Country going to the dogs, so why not accelerate?
Why don’t you worry about what really matters, whether the DA can run municipalities, provinces and countries effectively and honestly, not whether they pander to individuals such as yourself. Coalitions in other countries work because there, members of coalitions, can be relied on to keep their word. The members of the smaller parties in coalitions here lack integrity and any morality so can be bought off with promises of power and graft, their word means nothing to them which the DA can not be held responsible for. Additionally it is clear that people such as yourself trash the DA, and Helen Zille, not due to any real failings on their part but rather due to your lack of insight and your ridiculous belief that doing so makes you look clever. You should worry about what matters not whether Helen Zille offends your clearly delicate sensitivities. It’s worth pointing out that neither the DA nor Helen Zille GIVES offence, rather it is milquetoast self opinionated armchair politicians with engorged egos such as yourself who TAKE offence. If you have neither the insight into, the knowledge of nor the skill to directly manage the complexities the DA faces, then you should rather shut up !
I am seeing a disturbing trend which seems to be a DA inability to practise diplomacy.
Yes there is greed from the ANC and smaller parties, yes there are power play politics from all sides but somehow the common thread seems to be that the DA lose out. I have been a DA, PFP, progressive party supporter all my life but something here just does not gel.
I feel the same. The DA needs to dismantle its ivory tower and put its feet on the ground and work with the majority of the people. We live in silos with minimal interaction.
Hahaha
Both of you need to get over yourselves, your petty insights are not helping matters. What matters is whether the DA does the job of running municipalities effectively and honesty, not whether it receives the approval of milquetoast armchair politicians such as yourselves. Stop trashing the DA because of your egos and your out-of-joint noses and start worrying about what really matters.
With Bitou ANC-majority coalition now in control, it goes from day to night. The ANC nonsense starts.
How are you going to secure our borders,
To prevent the flow of unauthorised entry to our country
Whether readers like it or not, the DA had their chances since 2007 when Zuma entered the scene, They failed to take advantage thereof. They will be no more after the 2024 elections
Dealer give you extra strength stuff this morning?
Whether readers like it or not, the DA had their chances since 2007 when Zuma entered the scene, They failed to take advantage thereof. They will be no more after the 2024 elections
Downfall of the garden route is coming. Knysna fell and is know poorly run. Now Plett is falling. Its a corruption cancer. Towns should not fall like this when people who voted in the elections had their voices heard. This in between elections game must stop as its based on corrupt promises for those who sell out the elective
It makes me so sad to say this, but South Africa is simply not ready for democracy.
Without a sufficient body of decent education democracy is not workable in any constructive sense.
Is this nother case of DA arrogance?
Personally I feel the DA is losing touch with the heart and soul of the people. Not good just before an election.
Hahahaha
Get over your petty personal beefs with the DA and wake up. It is the only chance SA has and people such as yourself who think it’s trendy to trash the DA are not helping matters, you are making them worse. What matter is whether the DA can run municipalities properly and honesty not whether they say things that put your delicate and childish nose out of joint. Grow up.
Good luck to the people of Plettenberg Bay. Will you put your house in the hands of these fickle parties being bribed by the ANC for power. And the ANC can not even govern and manage any city or town in South Africa. We will start seeing the same downwards trend now as in Knysna,
There go’s the neighbourhood!
Why in the article is there no information why it collapsed? What was the real reason, did the municipality not fulfil its obligations? It’s easy to assume it’s about tenders, etc., but is it?
Why in the article is there no information why it collapsed? What was the real reason, did the municipality not fulfil its obligations? It’s easy to assume it’s about tenders, etc., but is it?
Agree that DA must get more involved with people on the ground if they want to win elections. Change of top 2 in leadership will also help.
I can assure you that the DA was not ousted due to non delivery in any shape or form. When they got back into power through a coalition they won 49% of the vote. The ANC only got 22%. The rest were small splinter parties. On assuming office they discovered an utterly looted and technically bankrupted municipality. It has taken them huge time and effort to get things back on a reasonably even keel. Now previous Speaker Claude Terblanche has jumped ship and changed sides. It’s all about power and position and nothing to do with policy.
Thank you! Some common sense and knowledge on the basics on what’s happening on the ground instead of just DA bashing or cry’s of “there goes plett”. It’s always, and always be, about power and the access to money that gives you. The DA know, and will not compromise, on the mismanagement and corruption that occurs when little parties work with the ANC and thus make a principled stand and decide rather to be opposition than in coalition. This is reasonable, it’s rough on the municipality as they will have to go through a few years for ANC rule again, but that’s the whole point of reap what you sow.
Democracy is not easy, and if you want better and change then one must vote for those who offer that, and quit complaining if those you vote for are criminals. It’s a lesson Plett will have to learn now, and I pity them, but hopefully they will never make this mistake again. As it is the poor in Plett who will feel this new administration of corruption and map administration most.
To govern you need to be in government otherwise you will be the perennial opposition. Politics is about compromises. There are very few if any honest politicians so the choice is usually of the least worst one. SA needs a technical government for a while where the civil service is not the servant any specific political party and the people who voted for it but the servant of the people of SA. Either than in the WC where you have an outstanding premier the DA has systematically destroyed and alienated young vibrant capable and competent leaders because of its inability to foresee the future and who it belongs to.
Is Plett not in the WC then.
Yep and as always there are exceptions in politics.
Stop whining about the DA because your pathetic nose is out of joint for whatever ridiculous and selfish reason and realise that the DA is the only chance SA has. It’s somehow become trendy amongst the supposed “intelligentsia” to trash the DA which only serves to contribute to the crisis in SA. The DA is not there to coddle you and stroke your obviously out of control ego, it’s there to run municipalities efficiently and honestly which it does very well. Trashing the DA only highlights your lack of insight and arrogance not how clever you are ! WAKE UP !
Any coalition which involves either the ANC or EFF can only be harmful to the municipalities governed by these people. Both parties are known for corrupt activities and being run by politicians suspected of, or being charged with, criminal or corrupt acts. It is to be hoped that Terblanche is well aware of the fact that he is now swimming in dangerous ANC waters. Good luck Plett residents!
Here we go again! After 25 years living in Plett, I have watched the ups and downs in how the town is managed – up under the DA and down under the ANC and its coalition puppets! The DA better get its act together in how it manages coalition politics, because this is the future of our dysfunctional political system! The ANC will become experts at bribing these small parties to join them to gain power so that the looting can continue – it’s the only choice they have!
The DA is not to blame for the immoral lack of integrity amongst the individuals that make up these various coalitions. The collapse of these coalitions is as a result of the basic dishonesty and greed prevalent in these other political parties not due to DA mismanagement. How can you expect coalitions to last if the people in it have no integrity ? People such as yourself who think it’s fashionable to trash the DA need to catch a wake up and see the wood for the trees. The DA isn’t there to stroke your massive ego and worry about your nose being out of joint, it’s there to run municipalities effectively and honestly which it does very well. Get a life.
Sigh
The motion of no confidence is too easily passed. Isn’t there a rule saying in which cases the Motion can be used?
Does the elected leadership have the necessary qualifications to run this important municipality in the garden route? As
As long
They have better qualifications than Steenhuisen I guess.
Pay back the money
Good luck Plett – you’re going to need it.
After two years the ‘looters’ are back in. A black day for Plett.
To those who say the DA must compromise to govern . I ask compromise what? Ethics ,principles morals? Everyone appointed to a position of management is assumed to have the welfare of the ” employer” at heart and can be trusted to carry out the duties of the position he holds . When the trust is failed, do you blame the employer ? In our case the DA is carrying the burden for these failures and in this corner of the world it is fired by politicians, not voters,. By politicians, who’s wax backbones have started to melt in the heat of burning money.
I hope Bitou enjoys its ride down the ANC supertube
What a pity they did not look at their Neighbour in Knysna. When the COC(Coalition of Corruption) displaced the DA, the surplus in the municipal account dosappeared, water runs out every week, refuse collection is infrequent as all the garbage trucks are out of operation- need I go on? These guys are simply there to look out for no 1- they will steal whatever they can and are totally incapable of running a municipality.
All the ANC wants is power. It has proven itself in every sector of the country that it has failed. The only reason they come into power is because majority of the anc supporters are uneducated and the anc has proven to only support the blacks.
My advise to all, get actively involved in civic structures eg Rate Payers, Neighborhood Watch etc. so to hold politicians iro party alliance accountable.