ANC and Cederberg Eerste forge new coalition as ‘Government of Local Unity’ emerges

17 Jan 2025

The naturally pristine municipality of Cederberg will have a new Speaker after a coalition between the DA and the biggest party, Cederberg Eerste, collapsed. Now, the municipality will be run by a ‘Government of Local Unity’ — comprising the ANC and Cederberg Eerste.

With its slim majority of six seats, the African National Congress (ANC) and Cederberg Eerste will take control of the Cederberg local municipality. This follows an announcement this week that the two parties will form a “Government of Local Unity”.

Ultimately, this means the governing coalition between Cederberg Eerste and the Democratic Alliance (DA) has been broken.

Cederberg is a municipality near the upper west part of the Western Cape, consisting of towns such as Lamberts Bay, Clanwilliam and Graafwater.

After the 2021 municipal elections, Cederberg was a hung council, with no clear majority party leading it.

After the elections, Cederberg Eerste, the DA and FF Plus joined a coalition. There was a short period when the ANC governed, but this ended in March 2023, as News24 reported.

Now, just one year before the next municipal elections, the council’s political leadership will change hands.

On 15 January 2025, a joint announcement by Cederberg Eerste and the ANC announced their intent to jointly govern the municipality, as well as to establish a “Government of Local Unity”.

“This agreement represents a shared commitment to restoring stability, improving service delivery, and prioritising the needs of the residents of Cederberg,” read the announcement.

“Over the past months, differences between Cederberg Eerste and the DA have created a breakdown in cooperation, leading to dysfunction within the council and threatening service delivery. It has become clear that a new path is needed to restore political and administrative stability in the municipality,” read the announcement issued by Cederberg Eerste president and current Cederberg mayor, Dr Ruben Richards, and ANC Western Cape Provincial Secretary, Neville Delport.

“The Government of Local Unity agreement reflects a spirit of collaboration, unity, and a shared vision for the future of Cederberg,” read the announcement.

Under this new coalition, the role of Speaker will have to be refilled, as it is currently held by the DA’s Dr John Hayes, the ward 5 (Lambert’s Bay) councillor.

Read more: There’s a doctor in the house — new Cederberg DA councillor says it’s all about healing community rifts

The statement of intent — which Daily Maverick has seen — outlines that Cederberg Eerste will hold the positions of mayor and Speaker, while the ANC will hold the positions of deputy mayor and chair of the finance portfolio in the mayoral committee.

A new Speaker would need to be elected, confirmed Khalid Sayed, the ANC Western Cape provincial spokesperson. In addition, the Government of Local Unity would be extended to any other parties who would like to join.

In response to this, in a joint statement by DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers and Koos Steyn, the DA’s Regional Chairperson, West Region, said it expressed its deep disappointment with the decision by Cederberg Eerste to join hands with the ANC.

“This is nothing more than a coalition between Cederberg Eerste and the ANC,” read the statement. “While the DA acknowledges the challenges faced in the municipality, we firmly believe this new coalition with the ANC is a major threat to open, honest and transparent service delivery to Cederberg residents. This political ploy is a guise to place greedy, power-hungry politicians’ needs above the interests and wellbeing of the local residents,” read the statement.

According to the statement of intent, this new government will last until the 2026 local government elections.

The concept of a Government of Local Unity is not new — last year, the ANC joined hands with the Freedom Front Plus and other parties to govern the Oudtshoorn Municipality.

Daily Maverick reported previously that during the 2022/2023 financial year, Cederberg received a clean audit. DM

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