Vorna Valley Residents Association (VVRA) chairperson steps down after eight years of service
The Vorna Valley Residents Association chairperson and three other committee members elected at the June 24 AGM resigned amid "character conflicts" within the association.
The Vorna Valley Residents Association (VVRA) chairperson Marianne Nel has stepped down from the association citing ‘character conflicts’ within the association.
Nel, who has been with the association for the past eight years, said the involvement of the DA’s Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe in the association, who has been brought in to ‘advise’ the committee also had an impact on her decision.
Three other members have also left the association: treasurer Carol Thornton, former treasurer Hein de Kock, and Bronwyn Mayhew who was the association’s elected secretary.
Nel announced her and the trio’s departure on September 5 with a scathing attack on the association’s interim committee and Deppe.
“Please note that the four of us have stepped away from VVRA interim committee over the past few months due to character conflict and DA councillors being brought in to advise the committee. So, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support, moans, groans, complaints and even those rude remarks that made up part of our daily lives over the past eight years,” said Nel.
She said after the last AGM, which was declared null and void by Deppe, no one was on the committee.
Deppe, who is a Ward 132 councillor said they were (her and DA’s MMC of Finance Julie Suddaby) invited to look at compliance of VVRA and seems there were flaws in the NPO constitution that some residents were concerned about.
“She [Nel] does not recognise me as the ward councillor for all. As someone who claims to represent the entire suburb but cannot work with the ward councillor, it disadvantages the residents entirely no matter who you voted for. Once I am elected, I work for all residents and does not matter who voted for me or not,” Deppe responded.
She said it was a requirement for ward councillors to remain neutral in matters of public interest in trying to resolve conflicts among residents.
VVRA’s interim committee, in a joint press statement, said the crisis that the association finds itself in, is due to character conflict, which then resulted in the constitutional crisis.
‘This has subsequently been rectified and the new constitution has been sent to the NPO registrar for ratification. The interim committee drafted the constitution with comments from all members present at the meeting. Where we could not agree to certain points, they were then put forward at the SGM [held on September 21] to be decided by the community.’
The statement also said Deppe attended the SGM purely in her capacity as the ward councillor while Suddaby was asked to assist with mediating the meetings of the committee as an external and unbiased individual.
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