Neilson named new City of Cape Town acting Mayor

By Thorfin1 [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

Neilson said he is committed to serving the people of Cape Town, following the Democratic Alliance (DA) decision to cease the party membership of its then Mayor of Cape Town Patricia de Lille.

“As Acting Executive Mayor, I hold all the authority of the mayoral seat and am committed to continuing to serve the residents of Cape Town with uninterrupted service delivery. Having served as the Executive Deputy Mayor for the past nine years, having been a city councillor for 22 years and having been involved in the leadership of numerous administrations, I am fully apprised of the needs of the city and those we serve,” said Neilson on Tuesday.

The DA decision on Tuesday means that De Lille has lost her seat as a councillor and is no longer the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, with immediate effect.

In terms of the Municipal Structures Act, when the post of Executive Mayor is vacant, the Executive Deputy Mayor, who is elected by Council, automatically holds all Mayoral authority until such time as a new Executive Mayor is elected by Council.

Following the decision the Mayoral Committee, which was appointed by the outgoing Executive Mayor dissolves, with immediate effect, due to the vacancy.

The acting Mayor is expected to an interim Mayoral Committee that will serve until Council elects a new Executive Mayor.

The City Manager has informed the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) about the council vacancy.

“We await due process to unfold and we will communicate further in due course. In the meantime, we assure the residents of Cape Town that the administration of the City is secure and we remain committed to the work we do to deliver services across the city,” said Neilson.