Councillor Hattingh Bornman was elected as the new executive mayor for the Kouga Municipality at an Ordinary Council meeting on June 30.
He replaces former executive mayor, Horatio Hendricks, who vacated the political office of executive mayor by resignation.
Hendricks has since been appointed as a DA member in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.
The municipality released a statement congratulating Hendricks on his new position in the provincial legislature.
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“Former mayor Hendricks excelled during an extensive interview process and was identified as the best candidate by the selection panel.”
Newly appointed mayor of Kouga, Bornman was welcomed by Kouga Speaker, Brenton Williams.
Bornman was first elected as a councillor in 2016 and served as the Speaker of council from 2018 to 2022. In January of this year, he was elected as deputy mayor.
According to Yusuf Cassim, MPL and DA Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson, Bornman has come through the ranks and has proven to be an excellent public representative with a great deal of institutional knowledge.
"The DA is in full support of the mayor’s vision to continue to build Kouga as a municipality of opportunity, where all residents can realise their potential and enjoy a high-quality standard of living.
"We have full confidence in Mayor Bornman’s ability to lead the municipality and continue to implement the DA’s mandate of clean governance and service delivery," Cassim said.
The DA also wishes to thank Hendricks for the sterling work he did during his tenure in turning the fortunes of the Kouga Municipality around, and we know he will make a great success of his role in the provincial legislature.