Tshwane DA long-serving councillor tells why he quit

Ward 96 in the north of Pretoria faced with long-standing issues, was left without a councillor following the resignation of the DA’s Hannes Coetzee in January.

A by-election will be held in May to elect a new councillor.

Coetzee, DA long-serving councillor since 2011, told Rekord why he left his job.

Coetzee said he tendered his resignation on January 15 for reasons which included what he described as lack of support in solving persisting matters which included the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant.

The plant produces water to communities such as Hammanskraal where the South African Rights Commission found in 2019 that their water was not as clean and should not be used for domestic purposes.

“The law stipulates that you cannot pollute any source of water for agricultural purposes or even for drinking purposes. Since 2011 I have been fighting this fight but without much support,” Coetzee said.

Coetzee said it was discouraging to constantly report to communities of no fast solutions to long-standing issues and “people will start thinking you are lying to them”.

“I’ve been pushing and looking for solutions but the support is not there. Fact of the matter is that if you keep on pushing and you do not get the support then you lose that joy [of working].”

ALSO READ: ActionSA Tshwane leader resigns but remains metro’s Human Settlements MMC

His resignation was not an abrupt decision but it was thought about over a year.

“About four to five years ago, we discussed with the [DA] leaders certain things I was not happy about in terms of services to communities. Two or three of those have been resolved but I had to do these on my own,” he said.

After quitting the DA, Coetzee joined ActionSA about two weeks ago, and will be contesting for the ward in the May by-election.

“This was only because community members requested that I go back to my duties.”

Ward 96 includes parts of Montana, Onderstepoort, Bon Accord, Rooiwal and Doornpoort.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said Coetzee joined his party due to service delivery matters which he believed were regressing.

“This ward that Hannes has served for so many years, has been plagued by the ongoing Hammanskraal water crisis, unreliable supply of electricity and roads that are falling apart.

“People in these communities cannot sell their properties or live with dignity because of the smell of sewage from the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, and you saw the conditions of these roads when you drove here today.”

Meanwhile DA Gauteng legislature member, Crezane Bosch said the party was disappointed by Coetzee’s resignation and joining ActionSA .

“When he resigned as a councillor, he had informed us that he would remain a DA member and that he was resigning for health reasons and to also further his studies.

“So when it was announced that he was contesting as a candidate for a different party, it was kind of a shock for us because his membership was still valid,” Bosch said.

Bosch denied claims that Coetzee was not given support in addressing persisting issues in his ward.

“He received support from the national, provincial and regional leadership. The mayor and the MECs visited his ward. He had direct access to the member of parliament.”

Bosch said the party believed that Coetzee was unhappy about not being elected one of Tshwane section 79 committees’ chairperson.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram