He bids farewell to politics
Roy Harris, Randfontein's former mayor is to step down from politics come the end of the year.
Randfontein’s former mayor and a well-known face in the community, Roy Harris, 75, is stepping down from the politics and is ready to take on the world of hobbies.
Roy was born in 1941 – when the world was at war and Jan Smuts was president. He matriculated from Krugersdorp High School in 1958. Roy started his political career at the early age of 18 at the United Party’s political organiser. In 1972 he was elected to the Randfontein Town Council after having his son Michael and daughter Bridget.
Roy shared with the Herald a funny story of when he was a young councillor in Randfontein. One Sunday morning he was working in his garden when he received a call from one of his fellow councillors, saying he was late for a special council meeting.
“I had no idea about the meeting and told him I would first have to bath and get dressed, but he insisted I should come as is.”
Dressed in his gardening clothes, Roy immediately rushed to the council chambers. “When I got there everyone was dressed in suits because they had just come back from church and there I was in a safari shirt,” Roy said.
While sitting, the mayor kept looking at Roy’s legs, and he couldn’t figure out why, until he moved his chair out and realised he had forgotten to put on shoes and on top of that, he had mud on his feet. His son Andrew was born in 1972. He later served as mayor from 1977 to 1978 and he went for a second term from 1983 to 1984.
Thereafter he became a certified estate agent and later one of the founding members of the Randfontein Show and Randfontein Publicity Committee. Two years later he was awarded an honorary title of Alderman of the Randfontein Town Council for services rendered as councillor, member and chairman of the management committee.
From 1994 to 1995 he was chairman of the Randfontein Negotiating Committee and was appointed as a returning officer for the Randfontein Magisterial District. From 2005 to date Roy has been a West Rand District councillor as well as chairman and leader of the DA caucus.
His decision to retire after several years of service has to do with a cancer scare two years ago. Since his operation he has been in the clear and plans to live out the rest of his days as a man free to come and go as he pleases.
I owe my retirement to myself and my wife,” he said.
He said he still has so much to do after he retires and that is when the work actually starts.
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