After its stunning Cape Town coup, the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday night wrested the Stellenbosch mayoralty from the ANC, leaving the losers smarting.
As in Cape Town, the DA won by the smallest of margins, with a single councillor deciding who would control the council.
Lauretta Maree, a former teacher and a DA councillor since 2000, was elected mayor.
The ANC won 16 seats in the election and the DA 15. But with the support of smaller parties, the DA scraped home with 19 votes to the ANC's 18 on the 37-seat council.
| 'They wanted us to get rid of ANC leaders because they have personal differences with them' |
André Gaum, one of two ANC MPs assigned to the Stellenbosch constituency, said shortly afterwards: "Most voters in Stellenbosch opted to support the ANC."
"So it is quite a pity that the view of the majority was not respected in Stellenbosch tonight. The major factor was that the ACDP voted with the DA - two seats."
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But the king-makers were sole representatives Kulile Shubani of the UDM and Patrick Swartz of the tiny Khayamandi Community Alliance.
Gaum said: "The Independent Democrats voted with us, so the KCA most probably voted against the ANC because of their own interests in the Khayamandi area."
Of the KCA, Gaum said: "We negotiated with them (to secure their support), and they wanted us to get rid of ANC leaders because they have personal differences with them, and we couldn't concede that."
| 'With a motion of no-confidence, we could regain power' |
The DA had won by offering top jobs to representatives of tiny parties, Gaum alleged.
As an apparent reward for his vote, Shubani was elected deputy mayor and Swartz voted on to the mayor's executive committee.
Gaum warned that the DA's support from the two Khayamandi representatives could be a double-edged sword.
"Clearly there's no stability. They're controlling (the council) by a single vote - a single person."
Both the UDM and KCA councillors had some support in Khayamandi, but the ANC had won 90 percent of the vote there.
"If there's the slightest indication that the people of Khayamandi are not getting the attention (from the DA-led council), there could be a change in position. With a motion of no-confidence, we could regain power. It could happen at any time. It will be very unstable," Gaum said.
"It's the beginning of a new era," said new speaker Andricus van der Westhuizen. "Stellenbosch will now see a new DA - because last time the DA had a very strong NNP influence.
"We're now trying to get all the parties to meet in an atmosphere in which all councillors can express their opinions and add to the debate."
New mayor Maree said on Thursday: "I'd like to have a more open, democratic style of governance - of conciliation and co-operation with all parties - than my predecessor (Willie Ortell)".
murrayw@incape.co.za
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on March 16, 2006
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