New ward 115 councillor Ian McMahon and City Speaker, Dirk Smit
Ward 115 residents have a new councillor, Ian McMahon.
This comes after the DA emerged victorious in the by-elections that took place last Wednesday, December 9, following the resignation of Dave Bryant who has joined the national assembly.
Ward 115 includes parts of Gardens, the CBD, Woodstock, Salt River and District Six.
Six parties including the DA, ANC, Al Jama-Ah, Democratic Independent Party, EFF and GOOD party contested the election.
The DA retained the seat with 82.30% of the vote.
According to the IEC, 1 987 votes were cast, of which 25 were spoilt ballots.
Mr McMahon, who received 1623 votes, said among his priorities are to drive the CBD economic recovery plan.
He said the country’s economy has been hard-hit in 2020, and the city has felt this impact. “The CBD is the beating heart of the metro and so, I’ll make it my mission to drive our CBD Economic Recovery Plan and support businesses to remain resilient so we can rebuild when we’re ready,” he said.
He said it’s important that they focus on keeping the city safe and clean so they can welcome tourists back to enjoy the best that they have to offer. “I know this road will be long, but I am committed to listening to businesses and residents and working together to identify opportunities for economic recovery and growth in Ward 115,” he said.
He said he will make it his priority to maintain and improve basic service delivery in the ward, engaging with the community to listen and address their concerns, as well as working with ratepayer associations to ensure accountable.
“I will continue to focus on the regeneration of public open spaces projects which have been successfully delivered to date,” he said.
On homelessness and rough sleeping in the area, he said he understood that this was a complex issue as economic challenges give rise to unemployment.
”This remains a major concern for residents in Ward 115 and therefore a priority issue for me. And so, I will continue to drive the fieldworker programme, working hand-in-hand with all stakeholders to highlight the areas of concern and push social services interventions, as well as driving support for the “Give Dignity” campaign,” he said.
On keeping the ward clean and safe, he said he will engage regularly with law enforcement and community safety groups in the ward.
“I will work with the relevant ward councillor and law enforcement officials to get answers on the plan to address the issues and problems emanating from the quarry. We shall continue the Mayoral Urban Regeneration Plan, install more security lights and strive to hire more EPWP staffers to assist with cleaning our streets and combatting illegal dumping.
The new City of Cape Town councillors were formally sworn in during a small Councillor Inauguration ceremony, presided over by City Speaker, Dirk Smit on Thursday last week.
He congratulated them for their new roles for the year that lies ahead, and the challenges it may bring.
“These are unprecedented times and councillors, as leaders in their communities, must set the example and remain vigilant, as Covid-19 is still very much with us all.
“I would also like to use this opportunity to remind councillors to act in the best interests of the municipality and its residents at all times; and to always endeavour to go above and beyond the call of duty in service to the City and its people, regardless of their political affiliation,’ he said.