Beetge appointed to new eThekwini position
While the new appointment comes with added responsibility, Beetge said he is looking forward to the challenge.
Ward 97 councillor André Beetge has been appointed to serve in the eThekwini Municipality’s Executive Committee (Exco), but he will continue executing his ward councillor duties. The announcement was made during the full council sitting on September 29.
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The City’s Executive Committee comprises ten councillors on proportional political party representation, including the mayor and deputy mayor. It guides the City Council as it makes decisions on municipal functions and programmes, as well as the management of administration.
Thabani Mthethwa, who is the DA’s caucus leader in eThekwini, said the vacancy occurred after the resignation of Councillor Nicole Graham who left to pursue her studies in Australia. Beetge will, however, have to resign as a member of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) where he was tasked with holding officials to account and spearheading investigations into corruption and legislative irregularities.
“A third-term-elected ward councillor, Beetge joins the executive team with vast institutional knowledge that also extends to municipal public accounts and finance, having served as the party’s whip on both the finance and MPAC for a collective period of eight years,” said Mthethwa.
Beetge said he was honoured and humbled by the appointment and is expecting to meet the challenges that come with it.
“The system is so broken, and people don’t always realise it. Our councillors are out on a limb, and communities are expecting from them things that completely fall outside their sphere of responsibility. It is impossible to meet everyone’s expectations, but this appointment gives us an opportunity to have direct communication with the mayor and the municipal manager to address issues that need addressing,” said Beetge.
Of the 10 Exco members, Beetge is the only one who is an active ward councillor. He said he was aware of the added responsibility but promised to execute ward councillor duties to the best of his ability.
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