Statement by Andrew Whitfield MPL – DA EC Provincial Leader:
Today, the Democratic Alliance launched our team of ward and proportional representation candidates who will contest the 2026 Local Government Elections in Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality.
Led by DA Dr Beyers Naudé Mayoral Candidate Eldrige Ruiters, this team is asking residents to entrust the DA with five years to restore financial discipline, rebuild municipal services, and get Dr Beyers Naudé working for all.
Residents across this vast municipality know what happens when basic local government stops working. Roads and infrastructure deteriorate, refuse and illegal dumping become persistent problems, municipal services become unreliable, and communities are forced to fight repeatedly for services they should be able to take for granted.
At the same time, Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality is under severe financial pressure. Every rand wasted through poor financial management is a rand that cannot be spent repairing infrastructure, maintaining roads, delivering reliable services, or creating an environment in which businesses can invest and create jobs.
The people of Dr Beyers Naudé deserve better.
Under Eldrige Ruiters, a DA government will restore responsible financial management and ensure that municipal resources are directed towards delivering services to residents. We will prioritise reliable basic services, functioning infrastructure, cleaner and safer communities, and a municipality that treats residents and businesses as partners rather than an inconvenience.
We will also work to rebuild confidence in the municipality and create an environment in which local businesses, agriculture, tourism, and entrepreneurs can grow and create employment.
Dr Beyers Naudé stretches across some of the Eastern Cape’s most geographically dispersed communities, from Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen to Nieu-Bethesda, Jansenville, Klipplaat, Steytlerville, Willowmore, Rietbron, and the surrounding farming areas. Distance cannot be allowed to determine whether a community receives functioning municipal services.
Every resident, regardless of where they live, deserves a municipality that works.
The DA’s campaign remains squarely focused on defeating the ANC and replacing years of weak financial management and declining services with capable, accountable government.
This election presents residents with a clear choice: another five years of decline under an ANC-led government, or a DA government with a plan to stabilise the municipality, restore services, and get Dr Beyers Naudé working for all.
Our candidates have been selected through the DA’s rigorous candidate selection process and are committed to serving their communities with integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
The DA’s ward candidates are:
- Ward 1: Brenden Flippies
- Ward 2: Ricardo Smith
- Ward 3: James Lomberg
- Ward 4: Joy Williams
- Ward 5: Pam Du Plessis
- Ward 6: Mona Sais
- Ward 7: Johnnika Arries
- Ward 8: Ewald Loock
- Ward 9: Anthony Galant
- Ward 10: Wilton Le Grange
- Ward 11: Zanthia Cronje
- Ward 12: Mandy Deyzel
The DA’s proportional representation candidates, in alphabetical order by surname, are:
- Danie Bezuidenhout
- Martin Block
- Dewald Pienaar
- Eldrige Ruiters
- Sakkie Van Zyl
Together, this team will take the DA’s offer to every community across Dr Beyers Naudé and ask residents to vote for a government that respects their money, delivers the basics, and puts residents first.
The DA is ready to win Dr Beyers Naudé and get it working for all.