Beaufort West council undergoes political shake-up

In less than a month, the Beaufort West council has seen yet another dramatic political shake-up, with DA councillor Gina Duimpies now elected as the new mayor.

The municipality had been without a mayor since the resignation of a DA councillor earlier this year. In a surprise turn of events during the interim, ANC councillor Castro De Bruin was briefly elected mayor after securing two unexpected votes in the DA-led council.

De Bruin later resigned, anticipating a motion of no confidence. He alleged that the DA had acted strategically by terminating only the membership of a proportional representation (PR) councillor rather than a ward councillor as the latter move would have triggered a by-election and potentially put the party’s majority in jeopardy.

The DA’s next move was to call a special council meeting, during which they used their majority to elect Elvico Links as the new speaker in place of the ousted PR councillor. A subsequent meeting was then convened, where Duimpies was elected mayor last week.

In a statement, DA provincial leader Tertuis Simmers and the party’s East Regional chairperson, Venolea Fortuin said: “Having 30 years of service as a police captain, she (Links) brings valuable leadership experience and a steady hand to municipal governance. Since July 2024 she has served as a Ward Councillor and Deputy Mayor, before serving as Acting Mayor over the last two months.”

ANC regional spokesperson Siyabulela Tom said: “Service delivery is at a crisis level in Beaufort-West, with ageing infrastructure, increased crime negatively impacting the daily life of the residents of the town. We urged the Mayor to prioritise these issues. As a constructive opposition, we are committed to ensuring clean and accountable governance.”

Cape Times