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“The legacy I want to leave after the next five years is simple: that the people of Overstrand feel part of decisions taken, rather than learning about them after the fact.” – Clinton Lerm, DA mayoral candidate
I start by thanking the residents of Overstrand for the tremendous support you have shown for my mayoral candidacy.
Over the past two to three months, I have held more than 200 open public meetings across Overstrand with people from all walks of life. I met grassroots communities and ratepayers, business enterprises, SMMEs and upcoming entrepreneurs, the youth and young professionals, and residents of our old-age homes, including some of Hermanus’s oldest residents, who remember our town as it was long ago.
These meetings were not for me to tell you my vision, but for you to shape it. Together we identified the problems we can solve as a community, those that need other organisations, and long-outstanding issues that must be taken to provincial and national government.
The result is a five-year vision shaped by the people of Overstrand.
On 4 November, you will choose who runs Overstrand for the next five years, so you deserve to know who is asking for your vote.
I’ve lived in the Overstrand for 25 years, where my wife, Mary-Ann, and I are raising our two sons.
I entered politics in 2021 to give back, not for a salary. As MMC for Infrastructure Services, I’ve seen what it takes to keep a municipality working. It’s careful planning, skilled officials and political stability.
This term, a DA-led Overstrand has delivered:
- Another five years of clean audits
- R817.7 million invested through 425 capital projects, with a large share going into major infrastructure such as water, wastewater and bulk services
- The number one Blue Drop and number one No Drop municipality in South Africa
- 17.4km of water pipes replaced and 92.43km of roads resealed
- An average collection rate of 98.31% and cash reserves of R958.1 million
These are independently verified results, and they are just some of the highlights. The municipality has made substantial progress since 2021, and you’ll soon find a comprehensive list of these achievements on the municipality’s website.
Behind the numbers are projects you can see: the Buffels River Water Treatment Works, the Kleinmond Wastewater Treatment Works upgrade, our ongoing pipe replacement programme, and upgraded sports facilities in Kleinmond, Hawston and Mount Pleasant.
Looking ahead, I will approach the relevant national ministries to turn the Gansbaai and Hermanus harbours into working assets for the Overstrand economy. Their derelict buildings and dilapidated state add no value to our region. Revitalised, they can deliver a desperately needed economic injection and job opportunities this region has not seen in many years.
Equally important, one of my key challenges over the next five years will be to develop an electricity network that is no longer dependent on Eskom alone. We will pursue alternatives such as solar PV and power purchase agreements with independent producers, moving Overstrand step by step towards self-sufficiency. That means more reliable and more cost-effective electricity for every household and business.
A major infrastructure project approved today may be finished only in year five, six or even seven. That is why stability matters.
When council is split, and small parties form fragile coalitions, long-term planning is the first casualty. Priorities are reshuffled to score quick political points, and projects stall.
This year you’ll see many candidates calling themselves ‘independent’. Look closely. Many so-called independents are not independent at all. They are standing for a small party or civic grouping. Your vote for an ‘independent’ will be added to that grouping’s pool of votes, and that pool is used to send people from its proportional list into council.
In other words, your vote can put someone into council whom you have never met, never heard speak, and never chose.
A genuinely independent candidate has no list at all. If they don’t win the ward, your vote elects no one.
So ask yourself: who is really behind this candidate, who is on their list, and where were they during the past five years of hard work? Many are driven by a single issue, rather than the broader picture of everything a ward needs to function.
A narrow focus and limited capacity cannot run a municipality of our size.
None of this means we have got everything right. The DA is not perfect, and neither is any party. Some decisions were unpopular, and some communities felt unheard. I take that seriously.
The DA has fielded a strong team of candidates in the wards and on the PR list. You may not agree with every individual on that team, and that’s fair. But it is the DA collective in Overstrand, not any one person, that has made our region one of the most desirable places to live, work, invest and visit in South Africa.
Water security, electricity supply and ageing infrastructure are real challenges, and together our team can tackle them.
I believe in governing collectively, not in a dictatorial manner.
If elected mayor, I will establish community advisory forums so that residents have a structured, ongoing voice in municipal planning. I will hold regular liaison meetings with the business chambers, environmental organisations, ratepayers’ associations and NGOs across the Overstrand – from Rooiels to Wolvengat.
These organisations offer enormous knowledge and goodwill, and a municipality that ignores them is wasting one of its greatest assets.
Safety and security, tourism and the environment will be key priorities, and I will work hand in hand with organisations, neighbourhood watches, the South African Police Service (SAPS), and provincial and national departments to strengthen the municipality’s capacity to deliver on them.
Our environment is closest to my heart. Our mountains, fynbos and coastline are why so many of us chose the Overstrand. You protect what you love, and what I love is the natural environment of our region. That is why the next five years must bring a renewed focus on environmental protection, including a hard look at whether the municipality’s environmental department is strong enough for the task at hand.
The legacy I want to leave after the next five years is simple: that the people of Overstrand feel part of decisions made, rather than learning about them after the fact.
To achieve this, I will suggest that council broadcast all its meetings, and I will ask the speaker to broadcast all ward committee meetings as well. You should be able to sit at home, watch your council at work, and never wonder what decisions were taken on behalf of the citizens of Overstrand. Good government has nothing to hide.
On 4 November, you’ll receive three ballots: one for your ward, one for the Overstrand proportional vote, and one for the Overberg District Municipality.
Vote DA on all three.
Choose stability. Choose experience. Choose a government that works with and for you.
Vote DA on 4 November.
Clinton Lerm, DA Mayoral Candidate
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