By Andisiwe Makinana Political Writer
Recalled Overberg district mayor Maurencia Gillion finally submitted her resignation letter to the municipality on Thursday, two months after her party, the ANC, had said it was removing her from the post.
The ANC named Gillion among its underperforming public representatives, who were being axed for failure to deliver.
This was part of the party's strategy to win the province back from the DA.
But Gillion refused to resign while demanding that the party give her a valid reason for her dismissal.
Overberg had won the Empowerdex municipality award for excellent service delivery at the end of last year. The award measures delivery performance.
Yesterday, Gillion submitted her resignation letter, after the party wrote to her on Wednesday demanding that she fire the new municipal manager Dominic van der Heever.
Van der Heever was appointed under controversial circumstances in March, when a group of ANC councillors walked out of a council meeting, leaving the meeting with a majority of DA councillors proceeding to appoint him.
The ANC has since been calling for his removal and the reinstatement of suspended municipal manager GW Hermanus, who faces fraud and sexual harassment claims.
Hermanus is a member of the National People's Party (NPP), which rules several municipalities in the province in coalition with the ANC. The ANC has accused Van der Heever of incompetence or having an agenda by not convening a meeting in the council. The party was responding to accusations that it had created a stalemate in the Overberg, where council has not met since it recalled its speaker, Michael Dennis in April.