Cape Town: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced his mayoral committee (Mayco) today, and revealed a mix of new new faces with a few familiar names who are being kept on to provide continuity and institutional memory.
Hill-Lewis invited members of the media to the announcement of his Mayco at the Council Chambers, Civic Centre, on Monday morning.
This follows weeks of speculation of who would be in mayoral team after his party, the DA, retained control of the City of Cape Town in the local government elections earlier this month.
Deputy mayor Eddie Andrews and City of Cape Town speaker Felicity Purchase were also in attendance for the announcement.
With regard to his priorities for the new mayco and the City, Hill-Lewis said: “I am committed to a system of rigorous performance assessment of each member of the team according to three criteria which include the delivery of service outcomes and commitment to excellence.
“We have a strong mandate from the voters to redefine the boundaries of what competent well-run local governments can do to protect residents from failing national services, by ending load shedding in cape town over time, by making communities feel safer and by fighting for a greater say over passenger rail in Cape Town.
Hill-Lewis also announced that while the Mayco team is based on the current structure of directorates, he will be taking proposals to council to change the structure which will lead to eventual changes in the portfolios.
The new Mayco is as follows:
- Deputy mayor, Spatial planning and Environment: Eddie Andrews
- Finance: Siseko Mbandezi
- Community Services and Health: Patricia van der Ross
- Corporate Services: Theresa Uys
- Economic Opportunities and Asset Management: James Vos
- Energy and Climate Change: Beverley van Reenen
- Human Settlements: Malusi Booi
- Safety and Security: JP Smith
- Transport: Rob Quintas
- Urban Management: Grant Twigg
- Water and Waste: Dr Zahid Badroodien
- Chief Whip: Desiree Visagie
Cape Town Mayoral Committee announced @TheCapeArgus pic.twitter.com/2YYy86clm2
— Mwangi Githahu (@MwangiGithahu) November 22, 2021
The newly-elected Mayor of the City of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced his Mayco members at the Civic Centre this morning. #CapeTownMayco
— Cape Argus (@TheCapeArgus) November 22, 2021
Video: Ayanda Ndamane/@AfriNewsAgency pic.twitter.com/Phi4UFaVET
Speaking off the record, a former councillor had said that the mayor would need the support of the national leadership for his appointments.
“In the DA, the appointment of Mayco members by a mayor is subject to the approval of the party’s Federal Executive (FedEx).
“The clash over Mayco has been going on since the election.”
Members of the new Mayco will have to undergo a lifestyle audit upon assuming office, Hill-Lewis has previously said.
“After spending more than a decade in Parliament, I know full well that sunlight is the best disinfectant.”