Mayoral nominations: Speculation understandable, but premature

We welcome the interest being shown by the media in the process of selecting mayoral candidates for strategic municipalities, including the City of Cape Town. It is our intention to nominate the very best candidates to serve the interest of the voters in these municipalities.

The process for selecting DA municipal candidates was adopted by our Federal Council on 23 July 2010. These regulations are freely available online. Mayoral candidates will be selected by a 30-person electoral college, 10 of whom will be designated by the electoral college for that municipality, 10 of whom will be elected by the Federal Executive, and, in the case of Cape Town, 5 of whom will be elected by the Western Cape provincial executive, and by the regional executive of the Cape Town metro, respectively.

Media speculation during the nomination process is inevitable and understandable, given the importance of these elections. However, as the nominations for the position of mayoral candidate in Cape Town have not yet shut, nor will they shut until the date of the election is determined, any speculation about who will be elected to this position is premature and presumptuous.

Statement issued by James Selfe, MP, Democratic Alliance Chairperson of the DA Federal Executive, January 17 2011

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