Cape Town – The ANC in George has denounced the DA’s recently nominated mayoral candidate Leon van Wyk, charging he was “against BBBEE and the upliftment of poor people”.
Van Wyk’s nomination comes following a public call for applications in February.
Seven people had applied.
According to the DA in George, the candidates had submitted a detailed written assignment and were interviewed.
Each candidate was scored by members of a panel, and these scores were combined to yield a result that was then approved by the DA’s Federal Executive (FedEx) before consideration was finalised.
If elected, Van Wyk will replace former mayor Melvin Naik, who the DA in February asked to resign.
The DA's George caucus passed a motion of no confidence in Naik after he was fingered in a forensic investigation into allegations of fraud, corruption and maladministration.
ANC chief whip Nomawethu Jantjies-Gushman said: “The DA is no longer a majority in the George council the designation of councillor Van Wyk as the DA’s mayoral candidate once again confirms that the DA stands for white supremacy and only reaches out to the Africans and coloureds in particular for their votes.
"Van Wyk stands against upliftment
of poor people, he stands against BBBEE and the integration of the community.”
She added that they have also struggled to set up a meeting with FedEx.
Van Wyk said he did not want to debate the views of the ANC or what they might think. He said if elected as mayor, he would work to improve the lives of many.
“Our energies need to be focused on saving jobs and creating
opportunities as we deal with
Covid-19.
“The upliftment of the vulnerable is a huge concern to me, of how we improve circumstances and infrastructure and opportunities given the financial constraints of the current economic situation of SA,” he said.
DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said the ANC’s statement was “predictable, racist nonsense”.
“BBBEE is a policy that enriches ANC cronies and anyone who favours this by implication is not acting in the interests of the poor.
"Van Wyk’s election is a major setback for the corruption and maladministration that has plagued the George council. That is a fact,” said Zille.
In reacting to the news yesterday, Naik said: “It is the DA’s prerogative to do what they want within their structures.
“I’m not being side-tracked by what the DA is doing because very soon my case will be heard in the High Court so that is where my focus is.”
Councillor Virgill Gericke, of the Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners, said the nomination of Van Wyk as mayor of George was a “major setback in the struggle for a just, equal and democratic society”.
The DA said the speaker was looking into scheduling a council meeting in the coming weeks to fill the mayoral vacancy.