The DA’s unwavering resolution to protect the Mayor of the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality, Chris McPherson, at all costs has run the coalition upon the rocks.
The serious nature of the allegations of abuse of power and misconduct against McPherson made it impossible for the other coalition partners to retain him in the mayoral position.
The coalition, which comprised the DA, the FF Plus, ICOSA and Saamstaan in Oudtshoorn, was unilaterally terminated by the DA yesterday after the coalition partners did everything in their power to avoid a split.
In a caucus meeting that preceded yesterday’s council meeting, the DA unilaterally broke the coalition agreement and left the meeting.
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.
The party can, however, not stand idly by while the DA protects a notorious mayor and breaks a coalition agreement by putting its own interests before those of Oudtshoorn and its people.
I was personally involved in negotiations these past few days with a DA delegation headed by Helen Zille, the DA’s federal chair, Jaco Londt (DA-MP), and the leader of the DA in the Western Cape, Tertius Simmers.
The aim of the talks was to try and defuse the situation. During these talks, the coalition parties made it very clear that retaining McPherson as mayor was out of the question due to the nature and severity of the allegations of abuse of power and misconduct against him. The parties insisted that he be stripped of his office, which did indeed happen during yesterday’s council meeting.
The DA, however, did not share the coalition partners’ view of McPherson and indicated that the coalition partners are not in a position to prescribe who they want as mayor.
On the other hand, the coalition partners felt that the DA was in no position to prescribe to the municipal council who to elect as mayor.
The FF Plus also objected during these talks to the way the DA unilaterally broke the coalition agreements in the George Municipality and the Garden Route District Municipality, and ousted the FF Plus from all positions there.
The FF Plus remains committed to good service delivery and the promotion of local governments which serve the people’s interests.
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