At an urgent council meeting held in the Stellenbosch Town Hall on Monday, 02 November 2020, a new speaker and deputy mayor were elected. This followed the resignation of Councillor Nyaniso Jindela as Speaker effective from 31 October 2020.
Councillor Jindela was elected speaker on 14 November 2019, replacing Councillor Wilhelmina Petersen. Councillor Petersen was elected as executive deputy mayor in Councillor Jindela’s place at the same meeting.
In his brief resignation letter Councillor Jindela thanked the municipality for the opportunity to fill the speaker’s chair. He also thanked both municipal councillors and officials for their support.
As required by Section 36 of the Local Government Municipal Structures Act, No. 117 of 1998, Municipal Manager Geraldine Mettler presided over the election of the new speaker. The only nominee for the position was executive deputy mayor, Councillor Wilhelmina Petersen. In accepting the nomination as speaker Councillor Petersen also resigned as executive deputy mayor, thus triggering the election of a new executive deputy mayor. As there were no other nominations for the speakership, Councillor Petersen was elected unopposed.
The newly re-elected speaker, Councillor Petersen, then presided over the election of the executive deputy mayor. There was only one nomination for the position too – Councillor Jindela – meaning that he was also elected unopposed.
In his acceptance speech Councillor Jindela referred to the fact that his life was endangered at the time when he was elected speaker, but that the threat had now passed.
The decisions at the 2 November meeting now sees both councillors back in the positions they occupied before the 14 November 2019 meeting.
In a press statement Stellenbosch Municipality thanked both councillors “for their continued commitment to improving the lives of the people of the Greater Stellenbosch region and we wish them well in these new roles.”
Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied