Retiring councillors bid an emotional farewell at the last subcouncil 17 meeting of the year.

The meeting, on Monday 24 August, also acknowledged ward committee members with certificates and bid farewell to councillor Ashley Potts who is not standing for re-election in November.

Chair Elton-Enrique Jansen paid tribute to two newly titled aldermen, Gouwa Timm and Danny Christians, who served their communities for 20 years, and will be retiring after the election in November. Jansen said the subcouncil wanted to recognise the hours they had sacrificed away from their families and the milestone moments they had witnessed while serving residents.

“Today we salute you for your journey and the race that you’ve run,” he said.

He said while the two were retiring from active politics, they would not retire from their communities. “People will still knock on your door.”

Timm and Christians were among four other subcouncil 12 members who were given the alderman title in a City council meeting on Thursday 20 August. The other subcouncil 17 members who received titles were Jansen and Philippi councillor Albert Ntsodo.

The title of alderman is awarded to a councillor who meets the required service conditions, recognising a substantial and sustained contribution to local government.

A councillor may qualify by having served on one or more local government bodies within South Africa for 20 years or more, or by earning a minimum of 20 points on a points system. Points are awarded for completed years of service as a councillor, chairing a committee, serving on the Mayco, serving as Mayor, and after 5 December 2000, serving as Deputy Mayor, Speaker or Chief Whip of the City of Cape Town.

The criteria also recognise service to communities through community organisations before 1 February 1995, provided the required proof can be shown.

The title of Alderman is conferred for life and recipients are presented with a lapel badge or medal with a neck ribbon at the ceremony.

Jansen praised Christians as “a man to serve your community and not allow politics to get in the way”. He acknowledged the challenges of working in areas where councillors were being targeted and killed, and urged the next chairperson to ensure services were delivered.

Farewell speeches

Timm thanked the chair for his leadership and the staff for their support over 20 years.

“Thank you for carrying me, laughing with me, crying with me, working with me,” she said. “Thank you for 20 beautiful years.” She said she came in as a councillor and was leaving as an alderman, but would always be a people’s person.

Christians reflected on his time in the original Mitchells Plain subcouncil 12, which was later split into 12 and 17.

“I must thank the Almighty for carrying me through with my years in this chamber,” he said. He spoke about economic and tourism opportunities along the coast, saying “the journey that I’ve started is for our people” and added that while he was retiring as a counsellor he would pick up his activist banner again.

Women acknowledged

Jansen marked Women’s Month by recalling the 1956 march to the Union Buildings, where “about 20 000 brave women marched to the union buildings 70 years ago, “. He said the day often carried the slogan “empower a woman, empower the nation”.

He named Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn as leaders associated with that march, and acknowledged women working in neighbourhood watches, ratepayers’ associations and safety groups across Mitchells Plain.

Jansen said gender-based violence and the abuse of elderly people remained issues that needed to stay on the agenda.

“Gender-based violence is still a major thing that we need to continue to highlight and place on the agenda every day,” he said. He added that the abuse of elderly people was something “we still need to keep on the agenda and not stop fighting for those who cannot speak for themselves”.

Term highlights

Jansen said the subcouncil chamber was where councillors held officials accountable and invited the public to attend the meetings and submit agenda items.

Potts said sub-council agendas were available online and encouraged residents to attend meetings. He said he planned to do a full ward review in November, which would be shared on social media.

“It is here where we hold the administration, the officials accountable,” he said.

He listed several achievements during the term, including a housing development at Farm 694 which councillor Joan Woodman championed alongside the community. He said government that had previously separated communities and residents was now working to integrate.

Other highlights included upgrades to pavements, roads and taxi rank areas, road resurfacing, the installation of street lighting and measures to calm traffic, and gym equipment in parks.

A motion for an indoor swimming pool was tabled, and Jansen said the fight would continue. Tree planting and initiatives to teach children to swim were also introduced. Councillor Ashley Potts started an initiative to engage people across various sectors.

Plans to transform a local sports ground into an athletics track, environmental centre and amphitheatre remained on the agenda. Jansen said planning was important to ensure long-lasting facilities.

In ward 43, a R300 million investment was announced for a pavilion area, with land set to be released the following year to stimulate the local economy. The sub-council also supported the transfer of land for a college in Bayview. Jansen said no extortion cases were reported at the college site, unlike other areas.

In Highlands Estate, where there were no roads or sewerage, the city’s land-use plan was changed to allow for services. Jansen said previous councillors had been told for more than 20 years that the area was zoned for agriculture and could not receive services. He said the community’s public input was not “just a tick box exercise” and sewer installation was now in an advanced design phase.

“We never played politics in this chamber,” Jansen said of the councillors’ working relationship.

Education opportunities

Jansen also highlighted that the City of Cape Town has opened applications for external bursaries, with a deadline of 31 August. Priority goes to studies in the city’s identified skills categories, and the support is open to residents of Cape Town.

Looking ahead to the election

Jansen also announced the councillors who would stand for re-election. He would stand in ward 43, Woodman would be the candidate for ward 75, and Ntsodo for ward 33.

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