Councillors dump GOOD party for the DA in Western Cape

Three of the four GOOD party councillors at the Western Cape’s George Municipality have dumped their party for the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Ward councillors Theresa Jeyi, Richard Hector and Neville Louw, elected in 2021, were announced as new DA members on Friday.

Their departure will trigger by-elections at the Garden Route municipality. PR councillor Rosa Louw is now the only member of GOOD in council, the DA said.

‘Exodus’

According to the provincial leader Tertius Simmers, there has been an “exodus” from GOOD and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the past few months.

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The three were “prominent” politicians in the areas, he said.

“It is clear that people continue to choose a well-run party that takes its mandate to serve citizens seriously and puts the interest of people first.

“Theresa made it clear that her decision to join the DA was purely based on the needs of her community. She realised that there is an alternative, that will be to the benefit of residents.”

Simmers added that Hector told his new party that his community approached him and asked him to rather join a party that can “listen to their needs and delivers proper services.”

Tourism Minister and former Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille formed GOOD in 2018 and contested the general elections the following year.

At the time, De Lille said she turned down offers from the ANC, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and “many” other parties before forming her political movement.

Having garnered the coloured votes in previous elections through the now-defunct Independent Democrats (ID), the emergence of Gayton McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance (PA) has since diluted De Lille’s major constituency.

In George, no party won an outright majority in the 2021 polls, resulting in the DA-led coalition.

Simmers said his party is poised to garner a majority should it win the upcoming by-elections to replace the three councillors.

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