Alderman Felicity Purchase today, 21 May 2021, during a full Special Council Meeting, was duly elected as the new Speaker of the City of Cape Town Council. Read more below:

Colleagues, let me start by saying thank you for placing your trust in me. I understand what a critical role this is, and will at all times strive to carry out my duties with professionalism, excellence, and fairness.

As a councillor who has served the residents of this City for 26 years, I am honoured to take on this new role and look forward to working with a new team who have much experience in ensuring the duties of the speaker are carried out with the strength of oversight expected from this office.

The City of Cape Town council meetings, open to members of the public and media, are a fundamental structure of our governance, ensuring open and transparent public accountability. 

Many may think that the role of Speaker is simply to preside over council meetings and ensure that they are carried out in a respectful and orderly manner, but the list of responsibilities is actually far more extensive.

Our councillors have a duty to serve the people of this city and to ensure that the best services possible are delivered. I am a firm believer that we need to operate in an environment of accountability as, without it, we risk sliding towards mediocrity, which we must always guard against.

Colleagues, I am committed to carrying forward the strong groundwork set by my predecessor, Dirk Smit, and will work to build on this strong foundation and by working with each and every one of you, we can ensure that the City of Cape Town continues to be the best run City in South Africa.

Issued by the City of Cape Town, 21 May 2021