A view of Table Mountain from the deck of the MSC Opera

 

Quotes about Cape Town's mayoral system

The ANC's MEC for local government and housing Richard Dyanti intended to reorganise the Cape Town council into an executive committee type system, which would make the mayor largely ceremonial and place most of the power in a 10 person committee which would comprise of the DA (4 seats), the ANC (4 seats) and the ID (2 seats), effectively stripping the ruling coalition of its power. After an international outcry, the ANC backed off and dropped its plan.

Janine Myburgh
1Nov 2006

"We hope that all parties involved will accept the outcome of the mediations in a dignified and statesmanlike manner and get back to work. Political posturing or point scoring will achieve nothing positive and we would like to see all further arguments on the mater postponed to the next municipal election." Ms Janine Myburgh, President of the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry

SACP
31 Oct 2006

"The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the City of Cape Town notes and welcomes the agreement reached earlier this afternoon between the MEC for Local Government and Housing in the Western Cape, Qubudile Dyantyi, and the Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille...In the view of the SACP in the City of Cape Town, this Dyantyi-Zille agreement can help to reduce tension and instability in the City. This tension and instability had threatened to put service delivery issues on the back burner ...The entire episode since the announcement by MEC Dyantyi of his intention to change the mayoral system in the City of Cape Town has thrown up important questions about the functioning of the alliance and the content of democracy. As we have said before, the proposed change was announced in public without consultation, debate, dialogue and consensus in the ANC-SACP-COSATU Alliance in the Metropolitan District and in the Western Cape province. The SACP reaffirms the need for a fully functional alliance and calls on all alliance partners to actively work towards this goal...As we have said before, the Democratic Alliance-led multi-party government in the City of Cape Town must be challenged and defeated by united working class action uniting and bringing together Coloured, African and white people into united action for people´s democracy and service delivery.Such action must expose the DA for the political, social and class force it is: a political party of the elite whose main goal is to govern and maintain Cape Town as an enclave for the rich."

Helen Zille
31 Oct 2006

"I'm very pleased at the outcome. "We've stuck with the outcome of the election, which I was determined to do, we don't compromise on the composition of the multi-party government, which I was absolutely determined not to compromise on, we've given the ANC two more subcouncils, and that's fine. If that makes them happy with the process, it's a completely acceptable conclusion and arrangement for me. My bottom line has always been that the outcome of an election should not be open for negotiation, and that bottom line has been maintained." (iAfrica)

31 October 2006

The ANC backs down and drops its plan to strip the DA of power in Cape Town. The 7-party city administration led by Helen Zille - but excluding the African National Congress – will remain in place. In a face-saving move, the ANC will be given 2 more sub-council chairmanships, taking the number of sub-councils it chairs from 5 to 7. The 2 extra sub-councils would result from boundary "re-delimitation".

Mandate
27 October 2006

In the form of a 103-75 vote, the Cape Town City Council has given mayor Helen Zille a mandate to declare an intergovernmental dispute if necessary in Cape Town's battle with the ANC's Western Cape local government MEC Richard Dyantyi.

Helen Zille
26 October 2006

"We stand against racism, we stand against autocracy, we stand against the power grab by the ANC. The ANC must learn to lose an election; if they do not accept when they lose an election, we can not say we have democracy in South Africa." Zille told about 1 000 chanting, banner-waving supporters of all races who joined the march for democracy. (SABC News)

Mufamadi postpones
24 October 2006

The planned meeting between Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, Western Cape MEC Richard Dyantyi and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille on Dyantyi's move to change the city's mayoral system has been postponed by Mufamadi. Mufamadi's spokeswoman, Zandile Nkuta, said the minister was now scheduled to meet with Dyantyi on Thursday and with Zille on Friday.

Mufamadi postpones
24 October 2006

The planned meeting between Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, Western Cape MEC Richard Dyantyi and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille on Dyantyi's move to change the city's mayoral system has been postponed by Mufamadi. Mufamadi's spokeswoman, Zandile Nkuta, said the minister was now scheduled to meet with Dyantyi on Thursday and with Zille on Friday.

Dyantyi declines
24 October 2006

Dyantyi declines Council speaker Dirk Smit's invitation to speak at the monthly council meeting on 25th October and give reasons for his move to change the city's government structure, stating he couldn't make it because of prior commitments.

Helen Zille
24 October 2006

"Receipt is acknowledged of your telefax of October 19 2006. It is with dismay that I note that your latest telefax still does not provide the municipality with adequate reasons for your motivation for the proposed change in type of municipality, despite my previous telefaxes to you of September 22 2006 and September 29 2006.

In these circumstances, I am once again obliged to point out that, without in any way conceding that you are entitled to determine a priori, a limit on the time to be afforded for the process of consultation, such period cannot, even on the proposed extended basis, be regarded as having commenced until, at the very least, you equip the municipality with the basis upon which you considered your proposed change of municipality type.

In this circumstance, unless I receive, by written reply, your confirmation that the stipulation of the 44-day period is withdrawn, I shall have no alternative but to seek the council's authority to formally take the appropriate action to protect the municipality's interests in this respect.

As I have previously pointed out, this would entail in the first instance having to declare an intergovernmental dispute in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005." -- I-Net Bridge

Khaya Magaxa
23 October 2006

"Decisions have been taken without us for a long time. The ANC is not consulting us. We are highly concerned about the state of the alliance." SACP provincial secretary Khaya Magaxa

Mike Louw
23 October 2006

"There is frustration with the alliance not meeting. Only the common partner - the ANC - has a problem. They have not indicated what the problem is." Mike Louw, provincial organiser of Cosatu

Tripartite meeting
21 October 2006

The ANC unilaterally cans a meeting which was meant to take place with Cosatu and the South African Communist Party, to discuss the ANC's wish to change the mayoral system.

Anonymous
18 October 2006

"The biggest fallout for the ANC in losing power in Cape Town has more to do with lost 'business' opportunities than serving the people."

Helen Zille
18 October 2006

"I repeated my position about this being bad for South Africa. But it was definitely not a negotiation and not a consultation." Zille on the meeting with Mufamadi

Helen Zille
18 October 2006

"We don't think that this is following the rules and we do not legitimise it. And I am still waiting for the MEC's reasons," Zille on why the multi-party administration didn't attend Dyantyi's consultations

Achmat Ebrahim
October 2006

"I steer clear of party politics and this is clearly a political issue. Whatever comes out of the wash will be implemented by me. The political views will influence that outcome. So, there was no reason for me to attend." Achmat Ebrahim, the Cape Town City Manager, rejected allegations by the Independent Democrats that his no show at Tuesday's consultation about a local government system change in Cape Town was a show of support for the DA.

Sydney Mufamadi
October 2006

"We need to make sure nothing happens that undermines our democracy." Sydney Mufamadi, Provincial and Local Government Minister.

Cape Sun Hotel
17 October 2006

Dyantyi set up a meeting for councillors at the Cape Sun Hotel, to discuss the proposed change of city governance to an executive committee system. The meeting was boycotted by councilors from the multi-party government after legal experts advised that a full council mandate was needed before the consultation could go ahead.

"In school when a student fails to attend a lecture. Classes don't stop just because that student didn't attend. Lectures go ahead as planned." said Dyantyi.

Dave Marrs
16 October 2006

"I doubt Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi would have intervened in the dispute between the Cape Town city council and the Western Cape provincial government over the city’s system of government, for instance, if the prospect of a prolonged court battle disrupting preparations for the tournament hadn’t loomed large. There’s nothing like the fear of being humiliated on the world stage to deflate a nationalist political ego."

Simon Grindrod
15 October 2006

"You cannot have a selective principle. The ANC has overstepped the mark." Grindrod commenting on the fact that the ANC wanted to share power in Cape Town, but not in the other 5 big metros.

Patricia de Lille
15 October 2006

"We will meet Dyantyi and tell him we will not allow the ANC to get away with this power grab - this is part of our duty to South Africa to protect our young democracy...we are saying an emphatic no to the ANC - we do not want the exco (executive committee) to be forced on Cape Town and we want Dyantyi to immediately stop the process."

Thabo Mbeki
12 October 2006

During question time in the National Assembly, DA MP Joe Seremane asked Mbeki what would be done in the DRC to avoid a situation similar to the Cape Town Metropole"... where an MEC seeks to change the rules despite the legitimate outcome of the election"?

Mbeki ducked the question by answering "I do not know what will happen to the Kinshasa metro."

John Ford
12 October 2006

"Giving government back to the people" and "making it more representative of the whole electorate" are slogans used by fascist systems, when seeking to overturn election results they don't like."

R Baker
12 October 2006

Dear Mr Dyantyi & Minster Mufamadi

A mayoral committee system seems a fairer way of going about business than an executive mayoral system, as more voices get heard in the decision making.

The ANC runs an executive mayoral system in many cities, and I'm sure you can understand that by focussing first on the only city where the ANC doesn't hold power makes people wonder about their motives...especially given that the ANC themselves put in place the executive mayoral system in Cape Town in 2003 (when they were in power). If the ANC truly wants to embrace inclusivity I recommend you introduce it first in the cities where the ANC holds power. This will clearly demonstrate that your actions are about principles and not about grabbing power.

Yours Faithfully,

Max du Preez
5 October 2006

"The knock-out punch came when I was informed that the ANC in the Western Cape was planning to do by decree what they couldn't achieve at the ballot box: to take Cape Town mayor Helen Zille's power away. The ANC statement that it is being done to create an "inclusive city government that will unite the people of the city" was the most cynical political utterance I had heard since before 1994. This was what the ANC's enemies and the white right wing said before 1994: the ANC will only support democracy as long as their dominance was not threatened. Threaten or beat them at the polls and they'll pull a Mugabe on us, they said. I always dismissed these critics, calling them reactionaries and racists. You don't understand the culture of the ANC, I said, you don't appreciate that the ANC has had a culture of tolerance and democracy since 1912. I lied to my overseas friends. We are not doing fine in South Africa. We're in trouble. Deep and serious trouble."

Chris Stali
4 October 2006

"We are saying that this move has been long overdue, we don’t really know why it took so long for them to take this decision, because we have been concerned and worried about the fight that is taking place at the City of Cape Town." Chris Stali, the Western Cape secretary of the South African National Civic Organisation ( Sanco).

Helen Zille
3 October 2006

"The MEC has tried to justify the move on the grounds that it will create unity in Cape Town. It is worth noting that the ANC believes this applies in Cape Town where the multiparty government has a 51% majority, but not in Pretoria, where the ANC government has 56%...When this thin red line is crossed investors go elsewhere, jobs are lost and social tensions over scarce resources simply increase." Helen Zille, Mayor of Cape Town.

Murray Williams
3 October 2006

"The ANC's plan could be sunk by a 2002 legal judgment which it used to its own advantage in sidelining the DA in the ANC Mayco. This ruling may mean the DA-led multiparty coalition may not be obliged to give the ANC and ID full proportional representation, just a few seats on the executive committee."

Cosatu
2 October 2006

"With the DA as our principal enemy, Cosatu believes that the ANC-led tripartite alliance should embark on a mass-based programme to take back power in the city and thereby ensure an inclusive government in the city of Cape Town."

Tony Ehrenreich
October 2006

“We want to be clear that the change wont affect service delivery and we also want a clear approach on how the alliance will govern the city”.

John Kane-Berman
28 September 2006

"It is, however, beyond doubt that an abuse of power is being planned in the Western Cape, where Richard Dyantyi, (MEC) for local government, has given notice of his intention to use the Municipal Structures Act to change the system of municipal government in Cape Town".

John Kane-Berman
28 September 2006

"Attempts to undermine Zille began within a fortnight of her taking office. Later, towards the end of April, she was the target of violent attack at a meeting in the Crossroads shantytown outside the city. The local ANC's response to this was initially equivocal (as was that of the Independent Democrats)."

John Kane-Berman
28 September 2006

"Zille has vowed to fight Dyantyi all the way to the Constitutional Court. She owes it to the country to do so, because this is an issue that goes beyond the interests of Zille, the DA, Cape Town or Western Cape. It raises two questions:

  • If the ANC finds it so difficult to accept the outcome of a municipal election it loses, will it be able to accept the outcome of a general election it might one day lose?

  • Will the constitution and the courts be able to protect democracy from assault at the hands of the ruling party?"

Helen Zille
27 September 2006

"The row is totally unnecessary. I am also fairly dismayed at the row. I can assure you because it is completely unnecessary. Things were going really well and smoothly. This really takes our eye off the ball. It is a completely artificially manufactured crisis." Helen Zille

Tony Ehrenreich
26 September 2006

"Everywhere else in the country the ANC uses the executive mayoral system. Only here in Cape Town, where they are not in power, they want to change it. It raises ethical questions about thehir reasons for this. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth. There are just too many implications, which call for coherent discussions with the ANC." Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU's Cosatu's provincial secretary.

Zackie Achmat
25 September 2006

"None of us will be party to a power-grab disguised as a lawful measure. This will destroy democracy and the ANC," TAC chairperson Zackie Achmat.

Sactwu
September 2006

"Our initial response is that this unilateral announcement is bad for democracy and hence against the legitimate interests of the workers and the community at large" Sactwu (SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union)

Gulam Sabdia
25 September 2006

"Richard Dyantyi has fallen victim to hardliners in the Western Cape ANC leadership. However, as an MEC in the Western Cape, he should have been aloof to the extremist politics pushed by the ANC's young Turks...If the political playing field was level the ANC would stand no chance of gaining more than 25% of the popular vote." Gulam Sabdia, Chairman, Africa Muslim Party, Durbanville

TAC
September 2006

"This move is wrong and regrettable in substance and form. In substance, the ANC Western Cape's attempt at a power grab undermines the constitution, the rule of law and the ANC's commitment to democracy and majority rule." TAC (Treatment Action Campaign)

Richard Dyanti
25 September 2006

Did the decision to change the system come from the top?
"What's the top?"
From the President.
"Why would the decision come from the President?"
I'm asking you if it did.
"Why do you ask?"
Was it discussed with the President when you met him recently?
"Why would that be discussed with the President, when I'm an MEC and have the perogative to do certain things?"

The ANC's straight-talking Western Cape MEC, Richard Dyanti, speaking to the Sunday Times.

Richard Dyanti
25 September 2006

The (executive mayor) system was introduced by the ANC when it ran the city. Why was inclusivity not an issue then?
"I would not know what conditions were then, when I was not MEC. I'm only answering for when I'm an MEC."
Whether you were the MEC or not, the ANC was in charge of the provincial government and I want to know why it was not concerned about inclusivity then, but is now?
"I'm saying that if you want to ask questions of the ANC you can do that, but I'm in government as an MEC. That's why you wanted to speak to me."
So you can't answer the question?
I can't answer that question.

The ANC's straight-talking Western Cape MEC, Richard Dyanti, speaking to the Sunday Times.

Tony Leon
September 2006

"What has received less notice is the leading role played in this affair by President Thabo Mbeki - who enjoys, and assiduously cultivates, his international reputation as an avatar of democracy. Witness this lofty declaration - for overseas consumption - to which President Mbeki recently put his name: 'Our democratic processes have survived various tests, leading to the universal acceptance of our country as one of the world's strongest democracies' It is a breathtaking irony that the selfsame Thabo Mbeki, while loudly claiming our high standing in the global democratic family, has at the same time eagerly partnered a patently undemocratic plan to unseat Mayor Zille's multiparty administration. Frankly, President Mbeki cannot run with the democratic hares abroad, and hunt with the anti-democratic hounds back home: like charity, democracy begins in one's own backyard. In the ploy to unseat Mayor Zille, then, the moral equivocation that has long marked Mbeki presidency has come sharply, and unattractively, into focus."

Helen Zille
23 September 2006

"Well, obviously we will prefer to continue with the outcome of the last election where the multiparty government got the majority and put together the government that is stable and has been working well. It is the MEC Dyantyi who wants to overturn the results of that election process. He should go back to the electorate and let them decide again."

Max Ozinsky
September 2006

"A report was given to Mbeki dealing with Western Cape issues, but Dyantyi wasn’t told to use his position to oust Zille from her job...We’re not trying to get rid of the DA or Zille. The new system will force consensus building in Cape Town -- we cannot afford to marginalise the African population again.”" ANC deputy secretary Max Ozinsky

Helen Zille
23 September 2006

“I have no doubt that the ANC discussed this strategy while the president was in town. The week after Mbeki’s visit to the Cape, I started hearing rumours that the DA’s days in council are numbered.”

Richard Dyantyi
22 September 2006

"My decision to consider the amendment is motivated by, amongst others:

  • A desire to see an inclusive government in the City that works for all communities equally,

  • My preference for a stable government representing 91% of the electorate instead of the current government representing only 51% of the electorate

  • The desire to see a city characterised by extraordinary unity and collective leadership, and

  • The importance of the 2010 Soccer World Cup for the City and the need for stability in the lead-up to this important event for the city, the province, the country and the continent.

I will commence with a process of consultation with the City of Cape Town and SALGA Western Cape. This process of consultation will take place after seven working days (7) from the date of issue of the said letter. In this process both the City and SALGA will be provided with the opportunity to share their views with me.

I do not want to anticipate the content of the consultations or steer the discourse in any particular direction without giving the other parties identified by the Structures Act (the City of Cape Town and SALGA Western Cape) an opportunity to state their case.

After the consultation process I will apply my mind and pronounce on the matter.

In closing I feel it important to say that my consideration of changing the type of municipality in the City is done with the interest of the people of Cape Town in mind and not against a party or an individual. I am serious about creating developmental local government that is efficient, effective, and sustainable and that works with all communities in providing a better life for them."

Waghied Misbach
22 September 2006

"And to be fair to the DA this time, it does seem that Zille is getting on with the job. Dead wood is being effectively swept from the floors of the civic centre and forensic investigations have been launched into a number of dodgy transactions that took place under Mfeketo’s watch. Now there is likely to be a further round of court cases funded from taxpayers’ money that are likely to further anger the electorate in the region."

Tony Leon
September 2006

"What has Mayor Zille done to deserve this unceremonious attempt to reduce her, at best, to a ceremonial figure? In a word: she is not aligned with the ANC. For this unpardonable sin, it is now clear certain tendencies in the ANC cannot allow her to rule - in spite of the wishes of the majority of voters. She offers the ruling party no patronage, no over-paid jobs or lucrative contracts; she refuses to wink at the appalling waste and mismanagement of the previous ANC city administration; instead, she shines a steady light upon the malfeasance that characterised that tenure - under the selfsame executive-style mayoralty the ANC endorses everywhere else in SA. In short: because Mayor Zille runs the only city in South Africa not controlled by the party who rules at national level - and indeed runs said city most effectively, with growing popular support - she represents a threat to ANC hegemony nationwide. So, she has to go."

Editorial M&G
22 September 2006

"If almost all municipalities in the Cape are characterised by awkward demographics, and several of them by governments with slim majorities, why is it Cape Town that is targeted for change? ... Why should Dyantyi, put in his job by the voters not of Cape Town but of the entire province, and in a different election cycle, decide for them? ... It looks like the Constitutional Court may have a chance to ask him for his reasons. He had better have a good answer ready."

Petrofski Williams
22 September 2006

"What I know is that our mayor is getting the better of our lazy, non-delivering and non-performing councillors. Some departmental directors and managers are starting to work at last after a long overdue and paid holiday under ANC rule."

Pierre de Vos
September 2006

“He can’t just make arbitrary decisions. If they are shown to be capricious, to involve naked preference or be in bad faith, the Constitutional Court will rule against him.” University of the Western Cape law professor Pierre de Vos

Jonathan Faull
22 September 2006

"The staff do not know if the decisions they are asked to implement will be the same tomorrow or whether the boss they have today will be the one they have tomorrow." Political analyst Jonathan Faull of the Institute for Democracy in SA

Helen Zille
September 2006

(Dyantyi’s move) “is a complete waste of time and money. The ANC is scared to see the coalition government working well. They are worried that voters elsewhere in South Africa will see Cape Town being successful and will realise they can vote for somebody else. That’s why they’re fighting us so hard. They simply can’t stand not being in power...The ANC is failing the democratic key test by refusing to accept an opposition role”.

Tanya Dzimbowski
22 September 2006

"Power-hungry Dyantyi is flagrantly tossing aside the very freedoms we fought for under apartheid. By disregarding the election results and thereby the will of the people, the ANC has revealed its true ambitions - democracy is not the endgame, a one-party autocratic state is."

Johan Steenekamp
22 September 2006

"Richard Dyantyi's reasoning as to why an executive committee system is preferable to a mayoral executive system makes interesting reading. These arguments were shot down by the ANC itself when the previous mayor insisted on the mayoral executive system. My question to Mr Dyantyi is whether these arguments hold for all the municipalities in the province, and, if so, whether he wishes to convert them to all to the executive committee system? If he does not do that, it will prove that his arguments are used only as a subterfuge to prevent mayor Helen Zille from exposing the inefficiency, graft and corruption of the previous mayoral executive committee."

Waghied Misbach
22 September 2006

"MEC for local government and housing Richard Dyanti has announced that he will use his powers as contained in the law to change the system of governance in Cape Town, effectively placing the ANC and its alliance partner, the Independent Democrats, into power. This despite the fact that all the other cities and towns in the Western Cape are ruled by the ANC and are run on the current system that Dyanti now wants to change. He has not called for any change there."

Gordon Oliver
22 September 2006

Gordon Oliver (Oliver, who was mayor of Cape Town from 1989 to 1991 and a leading figure in anti-apartheid protests) wrote an open letter to Dyanti stating that his plan "is politically unwise, morally unjust and totally unnecessary...Your proposal ... is not only unnecessary but politically damaging to your party and to our fledgling and fragile democracy."

Rowan Haarhoff
22 September 2006

"Our constitution is meant to protect the voice of the people, and while Dyanti may claim his actions are legally sound, what he is attempting is the equivalent of a coup d'etat, without the violence...Once democracy starts to be eroded for the sake of expedience, it's a short trip to chaos - ask any Zimbabwean."

Helen Zille
20 September 2006

“Because the ANC lost, it is now trying to force its way back into power by unilaterally changing the system of government in the city."

John Peters
20 September 2006

The "latest charade" by Dyantyi was "a sad indictment of a worrying trend of undemocratic practices of the ANC. It further shows the true nature of the party, which is so power hungry that a win-at-all- costs mentality has pervaded its ranks and become a modus operandi..The majority of Cape Town citizens do not want the ANC to govern, given its poor track record of mismanagement, corruption and nepotism, which in some cases suggests that the ANC has become inherently corrupt without morals. The reason given by the MEC that a change is in the best interests of Cape Town voters is hogwash. It is political, motivated by the PEC (provincial executive committee) of the ANC in the Western Cape. The UIF condemns the latest power grab as a desperate measure to steal power through whatever means," the provincial organiser of the United Independent Front (UIF), John Peters.

Theuns Botha
20 September 2006

"It is important for South Africa and democracy to know whether this is again just another contemptuous attempt by the ANC provincial secretary, Mcebisi Skwatsha, and whether it is supported and approved by President Thabo Mbeki and Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool, If it is approved by them then this type of action by the ANC predicts nothing good for the future - it reminds of a typical Mugabe-style of manipulation to gain control and to stay in control." DA Western Cape leader Theuns Botha

FW de Klerk Foundation
20 September 2006

"Whilst Section 12 of the Municipal Structures Act  does authorize the MEC for local government in a province to establish municipalities and to determine the category and type of such municipalities, the section cannot be used to enable interference by one sphere of government (the province) with another sphere (the municipality) for political reasons. Section 155(7) of the Constitution permits intervention by national and provincial government in municipal affairs, but only where the aim is to see to effective performance by municipalities of their functions.   In other words, interference must be justified by an inability of a municipality to effectively perform its functions. There is no such suggestion in respect of Cape Town."

FW de Klerk Foundation
20 September 2006

"The cornerstone of our co-operative system of government is that it is comprised of three spheres of government which, although interdependent and interrelated are also distinctive. Section 151(4) of the Constitution expressly imposes an obligation on provincial Government not to impede a municipalities’ right to exercise its powers or perform its functions."

FW de Klerk Foundation
20 September 2006

"In establishing its bona fides in seeking to change the system of executive government in Cape Town, the Provincial Government of the Western Cape would need to explain:

  • why it previously supported the executive mayoral system in Cape Town, even though the ruling coalition at that time also enjoyed a slim majority;

  • why it continues to support the executive mayoral system in all the other municipalities in the province; and

  • in what respects it believes that the performance of the Cape Town municipality fails to comply with objectively applied standards, to the extent that drastic intervention is required."

William Saunderson-Meyer
September 2006

"The ANC's decision to gerrymander the mayoral system in order to snatch control of Cape Town, the only city it does not govern, is morally despicable and strategically foolish. If the attempt succeeds, it will have international repercussions, gravely damaging the reputations of President Thabo Mbeki, the ANC, and the country. And for it to happen at the same moment that Mbeki is addressing the 61st session of the United Nations and slating, rightly so, the lack of true democracy in that organisation, is grotesque and hypocritical...That Mbeki is willing to go along with this travesty is an indication of how little power he retains in the twilight of his presidency. Mbeki is in full retreat before disgraced ANC former president Jacob Zuma's ascending star; pandering to every party clique because the political base needed to take a stand is being rapidly erode...All the talks at present is about Zuma and the likely negative effect that his ascendancy will have on foreign perceptions, investment and the currency exchange rate. It may be, however, that it is the moves against Zille that have the more serious implications, since they signal a retreat from democracy and the kind of structural tinkering that precedes a decline into despotic rule".

Helen Zille
18 September 2006

"We will resist this abuse of power with everything it takes. We will not lie down like doormats and enable the ANC to take back without a single bit of resistance the only major city where they lost."

Vusi Tshose
September 2006

"I am the only one who releases statements and there is no statement about this." two hours before the letter was sent Dyantyi's spokesman Vusi Tshose continued to deny that such a letter had been drafted and signed.

Ebrahim Rasool
15 September 2006

Rasool, the Western Cape Premier, said he had “certainly not” received any notice from Dyantyi that he “intends giving anyone any notice” about changing the structure from an executive mayoral system to a mayoral committee system

Helen Zille
June 2006

"The choice for the seven parties was clear. We could not put the ANC back under that (mayoral executive) system. But we could not, as the DA, implement our mandate and (still) honour our commitment to the multiparty government. So we had to accept the mayoral executive system." Helen Zille as reported on IOL

Richard Dyanti
23 March 2006

The ANC's Dyanti was reported on IOL as having said there was no reason to change the executive mayor system.

Nomaindia Mfeketo
11 June 2003

Cape Town becomes the last metropolitan municipality in South Africa to move to an executive mayoral system and the ANC's Mfeketo hailed it as "bringing us into line with other metros in the country and with the trend in many other countries around the world".

Nomaindia Mfeketo
28 May 2003

"We promised better governance, and soon we will move to an executive mayoral system, which will also help make our system more accountable and speed up delivery, and the introduction of ward committees throughout the city." ANC mayor of Cape Town, Nomaindia Mfeketo

Belinda J van Heerden
21 November 2002

After the floor crossing from the 8th to the 22nd November 2002, the DA had 71 seats, the ANC 80, the NNP 32 and the remaining parties 17 seats. At the meeting on 29 October 2002 the council reconstituted the executive committee by electing 5 ANC members and 3 members of the NNP. Portfolios were allocated to all these seats except for the one who was to be elected mayor. Two DA nominees were elected to the remaining seats on the executive committee, both without portfolio. In a case fought by the DA, Judge Belinda van Heerden ruled in favour of the decisions taken by council.

References

19 October 2006

Cape Town council battle enters second round

18 October 2006

I steer clear of party politics - Ebrahim

2 October 2006

DA our principal enemy - Cosatu

2 October 2006

DA ‘will take legal route in Cape'

26 September 2006

Your Action NOW!

26 September 2006

Dyantyi must consult council on rule change

26 September 2006

Now Cosatu slams Dyantyi

25 September 2006

ANC's city power grab is undemocratic

22 September 2006

Leon: Mbeki behind plans to oust Zille

22 September 2006

ANC mounts bid to strip opponents of power in Cape Town

22 September 2006

Fears that Cape faces executive paralysis

22 September 2006

Progressive or cynical?

21 September 2006

ANC using Mugabe style of governance - DA

20 September 2006

FW de Klerk Foundation

20 September 2006

ANC using Mugabe style of governance - DA

18 September 2006

Zille lashes out at ANC mayoral plan

We welcome input to help us improve our coverage of Cape Town's mayoral system