Cape Town -
The DA has thrown in some surprises with its top 20 candidates standing for local government elections in Cape Town.
At least six who have never before served as councillors appear on the list ahead of Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson and several other DA stalwarts serving in the city council.
Opting for a mix of relative political inexperience and seasoned councillors, the DA hopes to make it a hat trick at the polls in August, to extend its decade-long control of the city.
This week candidates were informed whether they had made the cut on a list of more than 400.
Right behind mayoral candidate Patricia de Lille, who tops the DA’s proportional representative list, is the city’s mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron, who hails from De Lille’s former Independent Democrats Party.
Party insiders have said that De Lille and Premier Helen Zille were at loggerheads in recent weeks over the ranking of candidates as De Lille sought to retain former ID members, while the party also faced the challenge of balancing its racial mix.
A surprising addition to the top three is DA newcomer Thulani Dasa, who is also the party’s candidate for ward 95 in Khayelitsha.
Until late last year, Dasa was a member of the little-known United Democratic Christian Party and is the founder of the United Youth Movement.
Dasa tweeted that he was humbled by the trust the DA leadership had placed in him. He’s been positioned ahead of long-serving mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith, who is ranked fourth.
Former ID member and the city’s mayoral committee member for corporate services, Xanthea Limberg, is fifth.
Another unlikely candidate for political office in the city is journalist and blogger Zimkhitha Sulelo, ranked 10th, ahead of mayoral committee member for social development Suzette Little.
DA metro chairman Shaun August (eighth), veteran city councillor Rosemary Rau (sixth) and mayoral committee member for human settlements Benedicta van Minnen (ninth) round out the top 10.
Other unexpected choices for the party’s top 20 who have never before served in local government office are Gillion Bosman (14th), Thulani Stemele (15th), Arlene Adams (18th) and Malusi Booi (19th).
Bosman, a UCT political science graduate, is a projects manager for the British Council and was named by the Mail&Guardian as one of the Top 200 South Africans in civil society in 2012.
Stemele works in the provincial department of Social Services as a facility manager.
Adams, who holds a doctorate in psychology, is a lecturer in the subject and a member of the DA’s women’s network. Booi is a former general secretary of Cope’s youth movement.
These newcomers to the metro list, along with council speaker Dirk Smit and Errol Anstey who resigned as a councillor last month to make way for former ANC councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe, who crossed over, complete the top 20.
Daylin Mitchell, the DA’s Western Cape Metro deputy chairman, said he was happy with the “talent mix” of candidates who participated in the process.
There will be 231 seats up for grabs in this election, with five new wards and five additional PR seats.