Cape Town - Cape Town’s new acting mayor Ian Neilson says he will consult the DA over the composition of the City’s mayoral committee after Patricia de Lille was ousted from the party over a radio interview she gave two weeks ago.
Addressing the media, Neilson said he had been appointed in terms of the Municipal Structures Act.
Hinting that he would not be in the position permanently, he said the Act gave no timeframe when an executive mayor would be elected by a full sitting of council.
“As acting executive mayor, I hold all the authority of the mayoral seat and am committed to continuing to serve the residents of Cape Town with uninterrupted service delivery. Having served as the executive mayor deputy mayor for the past nine years, having been a City councillor for 22 years and having been involved in the leadership of numerous administrations, I am fully apprised of the needs of the City and those we serve,” Neilson said at a press conference.
Earlier this year Nielson was caught off guard when responding to a journalist about Cape Town’s water crisis after De Llille had been removed and he had been put in charge of the City’s response to the drought.
He later apologised in a radio interview, saying that he had been unprepared for questions around the water crisis.
Nielson said the mayoral committee appointed by De Lille would immediately be dissolved, and only himself and Speaker Dirk Smit were political authorities in the City of Cape Town.
“I will now apply my mind in the coming days to appoint an interim mayoral committee that will serve until the council elects a new executive mayor,” said Nielson.
He said City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo had informed the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa about the vacancy following De Lille’s axing.
“We await due process to unfold and will communicate further in due course,” said Nielson.