HERMANUS – The DA in the Overstrand is in trouble and they know it. In a council meeting on Wednesday morning (25 September) Speaker Grant Cohen had to call for order several times when members of the public loudly interjected or applauded during a discussion of the controversial De Mond and Lake Marina Yacht Club tenders. (There are several articles and opinion pieces on the two tenders on our website should you want more background.)
The controversy started when Whalecoastnews revealed in June of this year that Mayco member Clinton Lerm was in fact a business partner of the directors of Point Caravan Resorts (Pty) Ltd, the company that has been awarded both the De Mond and Fisherhaven Yacht Club tenders. Both properties are ecologically sensitive sites next to important estuaries. In the case of De Mond the Overstrand Municipality has awarded Point Caravan a 45-year lease while they now also have a 25-year lease for the Yacht Club site in Fisherhaven.
I arrived just before the meeting was about to start at 10:00 am and by that time all the seats had already been taken. There were at least 40 people. I’ve been around for a while and have never seen this many people attend a council meeting in the banqueting hall. It was clear from the start that they were there to voice their opposition to the proposed tenders. During the meeting, at least two members of the public got up and left, loudly stating that they were not going to listen “to this crap” anymore.
The Mayor and Municipal Manager were clearly expecting trouble and had come prepared. From the MM’s opening statement where he made clear that all councillors had to declare their business and other interests by July of each year to the press release prepared beforehand and released shortly after the meeting. Ironically the press release states that the Overstrand Municipality “is pleased to announce” that the tender for De Mond has been formally approved by council. This, following a week in which the Mayor and her inner circle have been lambasted on social media for awarding the tender without any public participation.
In what, I suppose, was an attempt to deflect some of the anger in the hall, the Mayor announced that there would soon be a public meeting on where the Overstrand was heading. She also announced that she had changed her Mayco, and was kicking out longtime DA stalwart Elnora Gillion.
Then council turned to the first of the two tenders. Councillor Malcolm Grimbeek from the Freedom Front Plus immediately indicated that he had a problem with the 25-year term of the Fisherhaven lease and wanted to know why councillors had not had a briefing on it. The Municipal Manager, Mr Dean O’Neill then made it clear that the item was serving before council purely to confirm the duration of the lease and not anything else. O’Neill said the council had decided on the 25-year term back in 2022 already. He agreed that councillors should get a briefing on the matter.
Land Party Councillor, Vuyisani Bandeza then asked that the tender not be approved and rather “go to public participation”. He said to loud applause that the public was not happy with the lease. “We councillors are here on behalf of the public and the public must approve.” Both ANC and EFF councillors endorsed his view. Again to applause.
The direction things were going was clearly upsetting the DA’s Arnie Africa and he said that “that we need development there and have been getting unresponsive tenders for years.”
The Speaker, Grant Cohen then called for a vote and the tender was approved by 15 DA votes against the 7 of the opposition parties. DA councillor Stephen Williams, who was not present, and Councillor Clinton Lerm (who recused himself) did not vote.
When it came to the De Mond tender, Grimbeek from the FF Plus again voiced his opposition to the 45-year term and said he would have thought that councillors would have at least had a presentation on what is being planned at the site.
Councillor Connie Tafu-Nwonkwa from the ANC said she strongly felt that the tender had to be referred back for public participation. The DA’s Arnie Africa wanted to know what councillor Tafu-Nwonkwa meant by referring it back. She was adamant and said the public didn’t know anything about the tender. Africa replied and said the decision before council was about the length of the lease.
The Land Party’s Bandeza wanted to know whether there had been public participation and that if there hadn’t, the matter should “ go to public participation first.” Loud applause.
Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill replied that there will be a public participation process after the proposal is received from the developers. There will be ample time to comment then, he said. According to O’Neill the site development plan would first have to come to council for approval. Ed: We went from the advert is public participation to there will be public participation after the fact to the council first has to approve the site plan. How’s that for backtracking?
Councillor Bandeza wouldn’t let go and insisted that you had to start with public participation. Councillor Africa was now getting hot under the collar: “It is not about public participation, but the term of the lease (to loud laughter from the public).
The ANC’s Connie Tafu-Nwonkwa also wouldn’t let go. “We want to go to public participation before we approve.”
After being proposed and seconded the tender was then approved.
By this time, things were getting pretty heated and some law enforcement officials moved from the other side of the hall closer to the door. Obviously, they felt there may be a threat. There was none and everybody left peacefully.
Testimony that the DA should rather do some introspect instead of painting them as champions of ethics.
The mayor is great at grabbing a political opportunity on a wind blown mountain with a swipe of bright lipstick. I’m sure this has lulled a lot of people into thinking she’s doing a great job for “us”. Defining us is a whole different topic.
She is less good at sharing a sustainable long-term vision for greater Hermanus and its (limited) resources. I’ve written to my ward 3 Councillor multiple times on topics like what is the greater plan for Hermanus water management (management not price hikes) and what is the Council’s thinking in view of a huge spike in building. No response. I’ve begged for public Voelklip participation after the imperious decision that the current excellent baboon program is to be cancelled due to lack of funds. For the dramatically improved quality of life we’ve experienced we may be willing to pay I suggested. No response.
You will see a lot of reference to spatial plans. These are mandated and required every few years in terms of law. It seems the council has complied but I wonder if we have made our voices heard on this. Who we are, what we want our town to look like are all questions that cut to a sustainable and inclusive future but these values are not apparent in our council and no lick of lipstick is going to rosy up how so many of us feel. Public participation after a tender seems hugely manipulative. We need public participation about who we are as a South African seaside town with an extraordinary natural endowment that has to be the core of our future. Not is a static nimby white way but in a very new way.