Cape Town - A DA councillor who resigned and joined the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has caused an uproar after his appointment as Beaufort West’s acting municipal manager a few days after he joined the party.
Derick Welgemoed, who was a DA councillor in the Central Karoo, tendered his resignation from the party with immediate effect on April 14.
Welgemoed will assume his position in Beaufort West next month.
“I have been a DA councillor ... but I signed my resignation letter and I decided to join the PA. I wasn’t happy with the way things were going ...
“I received a call a week ago from a contractor and he asked me if I knew that Beaufort West assets were going on auction, and I said I wasn’t aware of it.
“When I ran this with the DA groups, the caucus leader was of the opinion that we should allow this to happen and for the assets to be sold on auction so that the DA can score political points.
“I don’t play for that kind of team. With that coming from a caucus leader, I decided that it was my time to leave,” he said.
Beaufort West Municipality speaker Noel Constable confirmed Welgemoed’s appointment, adding that he would be appointed for a period of three months.
“His appointment will be from 1 May 2023 for three months on a month-to-month basis.
“Mr Welgemoed does have the necessary qualifications and experience to be a appointed in the position of a municipal manager.
“He has two degrees and over 20 years’ experience in local government,” he said.
In a statement last Thursday, the DA said they would report the matter to Local Government MEC Anton Bredell.
The DA constituency head in Beaufort West, Daylin Mitchell, said Welgemoed’s appointment was approved without any due process.
He said interviews for the vacant position of municipal manager that had been scheduled for April 12 were “hastily cancelled after he joined the PA”.
“The municipal manager is the most senior administrative official in a municipality and should be appointed purely on the basis of merit with no political interference. This, clearly, is not what happened in Beaufort West. The DA will consequently refer the matter to the MEC for local government in the Western Cape for urgent investigation,” said Mitchell.
Bredell said the department would assess the documentation on the appointment.
“If we find that the appointment is not in order, we will take the necessary appropriate steps,” he said.
Beaufort West community activist Brian Jooste said Welgemoed’s appointment came as no surprise.
“What surprises me is the fact that Gayton McKenzie said that Derick did not join the party for positions, and not even a week after he was appointed as the acting municipal manager. We are looking into this and we are watching very closely what moves they are making,” he said.
McKenzie said Welgemoed had only been appointed in an acting position.
Cape Times