Willemse stays on the treadmill

The laborious court saga of Mark Willemse continues after the case was postponed for the seventh time this week to the end of January by Siegfried Gustav Sievers SC.

Apart from the personal strain and the political uncertainty endured by Knysna, it leaves particularly Willemse's ward in a precarious position according to Ward 9 committee member Chris Gould: “The shocking way in which out-of-town DA party bosses and our local DA caucus have orchestrated Willemse’s removal from the party is deeply disappointing. It not only leaves us without our mayor, it also leaves us without a councillor in Ward 9 for another two months minimum, making it at least four months in total. It is completely unacceptable," he said.

"Mark’s constituents in Ward 9 are now effectively disenfranchised," said Gould.

"They do not have a representative in council to present their views. In addition, they have no one to work on their behalf with municipal officials to solve the many problems that arise on a day-to-day basis. But it is clear that the DA could care less about us. They are perfectly happy to ignore residents’ interests in their allconsuming drive to punish Willemse for doing the right thing two years ago, when he voted with his conscience.”

Knysna's DA constituency head Dion George said the postponement was unfortunate. "The situation is entirely the making of Willemse. The DA is attending to residents' issues as they arise in the absence of a new councillor being elected."