AN eight-month-old coalition government between the DA and two smaller parties in the beleaguered Cederberg Municipality collapsed after a no confidence vote passed by a small margin.
During a heated council sitting on Wednesday, the results of the motion of no confidence created a political stalemate, seeing Cederberg speaker Joseph Farmer turning his back on his own party, the DA, in the deciding vote that saw the ANC and Patriotic Alliance elected to positions of speaker and deputy mayor.
The embattled municipality became one of the first hung councils following the 2021 local government elections which essentially opened the door for a coalition agreement to be signed between the DA, Freedom Front Plus and the Cederberg First Residents Association.
His vote saw Farmer elected as mayor, a position previously held by Ruben Richards from the Cederberg First, who ran as an independent candidate.
Richards donned the mayoral chain in November while the Freedom Front Plus kept the seat warm as deputy mayor. Farmer was previously the speaker of council.
After Wednesday’s vote, the PA’s Wentzel van Neel was elected as new deputy mayor, while the ANC’s Maxwell Heins was elected as the new speaker.
The DA said they were aware of the matter.
“I can confirm that the mayor was removed in a motion of no confidence and another mayor elected,” said Richard Newton, DA communications director.
“We are taking commensurate action and will follow due process.”
The PA welcomed the news.
“The leadership of the Patriotic Alliance welcomes the downfall of the DA-Freedom Front coalition government in the Cederberg Local Municipality,” the party said.