Two septuagenarian DA councillors leave office at same time

Two Democratic Alliance (DA) councillors from neighbouring wards in the City of Matlosana municipality, Klerksdorp, bade farewell to their constituencies, fellow councillors and the municipal community as they signed off this week from careers that spanned a total of 46 years between them.

Councillors Elmarie Postma, who was councillor for ward 17, and colleague Ansofie Combrinck, announced their resignations as ward councillors, citing personal reasons.

Their vacant positions will be filled through by-elections.

The DA announced the names of two fellow councillors to act in their seats until the by-elections are called by the Electoral Commission.

In separate letters to their ward residents, the duo expressed the hope that the DA would find suitable replacements who would “continue to serve you with commitment and dedication”.

“It was an honour to serve you,” they said in similarly worded letters released by the DA. “The DA remains the only hope for our ward, municipality, province and country.”

Postma, 71, said she was reluctant to leave but that the deteriorating health of her husband, Fanie, 74, had forced her to call it quits.

“My husband fell very ill and was hospitalised for three months, of which he spent 21 days in ICU. At 71 years of age, I have been married to this man for 52 years and felt I must quit to look after him. It’s a big stress for me because he is still not very well,” Postma said.

She said the fact that she and Combrinck had resigned and left at the same time was a coincidence as their reasons for leaving the council were different.

“We are longtime friends and there’s nothing strange about our resignations.

“The only strange thing about it is the fact that we are leaving at the same time, it’s for different circumstances,” Postma said.

Both councillors were serving their third terms in office, having entered the council chamber at the same time following their elections as councillors in April 2011 to represent their neighbouring wards in Klerksdorp.

But Postma served the municipality for 34 years, beginning as a personal assistant to then Klerksdorp municipal mayor Johan de Witt in 1988.

She was among the team that established the Independent Electoral Commission office in North West in preparation for the first democratic local government elections in 1995-96.

She was later also appointed as director of corporate services at the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district municipality in North West.

Postma, who previously served as DA caucus leader, is married and has two adult children.

The widowed Combrinck, 57, who previously served as caucus whip, said she was leaving the council because “circumstances required that I should move outside Klerksdorp”.

The mother of two said her term as councillor was “wonderful and fulfilling” and that she would miss her job.