Mr Johan Allers of the FF Plus was appointed as Oudtshoorn’s new Mayor today by a Government of Local Unity, replacing the controversial Mr Chris Macpherson of the DA.
Mr Allers was elected with 14 votes to 9 after opposition parties took the historical step to commit themselves to working together in a local unity government – much like the national government.
As on national level, there is not a single party in Oudtshoorn with enough support to govern on its own.
This development follows the pleas of former coalition partners of the DA in Oudtshoorn to replace Mr Macpherson amid numerous complaints and grievances.
The DA refused to comply with the requests and decided to rather break its coalition agreement with the FF Plus and other parties than appoint another candidate in the mayoral position.
The coalition, which comprised the DA, the FF Plus, ICOSA and Saamstaan in Oudtshoorn, was unilaterally terminated by the DA after the coalition partners did everything in their power and held several talks with the DA in an attempt to prevent a split.
It is regrettable that the DA’s unyielding attitude resulted in this. The FF Plus will, however, keep doing everything it can to ensure good cooperation between the new governing partners.
There are some who would like to see the new government fail and opponents will most probably make it as difficult as possible to achieve success.
Disagreements are to be expected, but the FF Plus urges the new governing partners to focus on service delivery and what is most important for Oudtshoorn and its people.
In terms of the cooperative agreement between the parties, working mechanisms will be created to ensure continued consensus and resolve disputes.
The FF Plus is once again calling on the DA to restore the coalitions that it terminated in George and the Garden Route District Municipality for the sake of good governance and service delivery.
Concerning Oudtshoorn, the FF Plus hopes that the DA will reconsider and not merely fulfil an opposition role, but contribute meaningfully to a Government of Local Unity to serve their voters’ interests.
The FF Plus is willing and able to take the lead in Oudtshoorn, and will do everything in its power to protect the remaining coalitions in the Western Cape.
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