After weeks of speculation, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on Monday announced his new mayoral committee (Mayco), revealing a mixture of new faces to join some familiar ones.
One of his surprise omissions was Xanthea Limberg, the former high-profile mayco member for water and sanitation, who has been replaced by Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
Badroodien’s former portfolio of Community Services and Health, has been taken over by a new face, Patricia van der Ross.
There’s a cloud hanging over Limberg who has been accused of lying about her qualifications.
The DA has launched an investigation into the matter but the findings are yet to be made public.
It is not clear if Limberg still has a future in the City administration. She did not reply to queries yesterday.
The new Mayco comes after the DA retained control of Cape Town in the local government elections.
New Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews and City of Cape Town Speaker Felicity Purchase were also in attendance at the Civic Centre for the announcement yesterday.
The new Mayco is as follows:
Deputy mayor, Spatial planning and Environment: Eddie Andrews
Finance: Siseko Mbandezi
Community Services and Health: Patricia van der Ross
Corporate Services: Theresa Uys
Economic Opportunities and Asset Management: James Vos
Energy and Climate Change: Beverley van Reenen
Human Settlements: Malusi Booi
Safety and Security: JP Smith
Transport: Rob Quintas
Urban Management: Grant Twigg
Water and Waste: Dr Zahid Badroodien
Chief Whip: Desiree Visagie
But all this might soon change. Hill-Lewis also announced that while the Mayco team is based on the current structure of directorates, he will be taking proposals to council to change the structure, which will lead to eventual changes in the portfolios.
Hill-Lewis said: “I am committed to a system of rigorous performance assessment of each member of the team according to three criteria which include the delivery of service outcomes and commitment to excellence.
“We have a strong mandate from the voters to redefine the boundaries of what competent well-run local governments can do to protect residents from failing national services, by ending load shedding in Cape Town over time, by making communities feel safer and by fighting for a greater say over passenger rail in Cape Town.”
Members of the new Mayco will have to undergo a lifestyle audit upon assuming office, the mayor added.