New Ward 98 councillor promises action and accountability
Ward 98 consists of Clarina, Heatherdale, Klerksoord, Tileba, Winternest, Theresapark, Eldorette and Dorandia.
The ward has been plagued by issues such as water outages, crumbling infrastructure, illegal dumping, and dysfunctional streetlights.
With the DA securing 72.77% of the vote, up from 37.5% in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, the party sees this victory as a signal that residents are ready for effective leadership.
'This result shows that residents are tired of promises and are looking for delivery.
'We have heard their frustrations, and now it's time to roll up our sleeves,' said Van der Westhuizen.
In outlining his immediate plans, he emphasised basic service delivery as a top priority.
'I have been active working for the community, with the community, and I have done the blue ribbon campaign, where I identified more than 3 000 non-functional streetlights that need to be fixed by the metro.
'The lessons that I have learned are that as someone representing the community, you must not disappoint them. If you disappoint your people, and if you do not listen and care for your community, you will be voted out,' he said.
He said streetlights are currently a main concern for everyone, and that's his main priority.
'I want to prioritise community safety. It's important for me to engage with my community leaders.'
The 30-year-old Van der Westhuizen, who grew up in the ward and matriculated at the Hoërskool Gerrit Maritz, said not everything is going to be fixed immediately, but residents must have trust in the process.
'It won't be immediately like we all will hope for, but I will advocate for better service delivery in all areas of Ward 98.
'Clarina, Dorandia and Tileba are some of the oldest communities in the north, and all have asbestos pipes. Now, asbestos pipes, as soon as they feel a bit too much pressure, burst. They need to be replaced, and I intend to put it in my integrated development plan because the problem now is that every two, three days, we have water leaks,' he said.
Van der Westhuizen also mentioned that the safety of electrical infrastructure is another problem that needs an immediate solution.
'I believe that a community should work with the councillor and everyone should work as one team, for one vision and one goal in mind, for the betterment of all residents in the area.'
Ward 98 was once considered contested ground, with ActionSA capturing 17% of the vote during the 2021 local government elections.
However, ActionSA did not contest the recent by-election. This, according to DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink, created space for the DA to reconnect with disillusioned voters.
'Many former ActionSA supporters in Ward 98 are now backing the DA. This is a ward that reflects the future of our country, diverse, vibrant, but facing serious challenges.
'Our goal is to prove that good governance and local delivery still matter,' said Brink.
DA's constituency political head Bronwynn Engelbrecht said it's important for Van der Westhuizen to be patient, as it's not easy to be a ward councillor.
'We needed somebody who's got a passion for the people, a passion for working hard because it's a hard job. You can't always be at home on your cellphone you must be there and meet your people.
'We were evaluating Van der Westhuizen, even though he didn't even know, and he proved beyond all expectations that he is always available.'
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