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Ian Neilson

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The Honourable
Ian Neilson
Alderman
Deputy Mayor of Cape Town
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 May 2009
MayorDan Plato
Patricia de Lille
Dan Plato
Preceded byGrant Haskin
Mayor of Cape Town
Acting
In office
31 October 2018 – 6 November 2018
Preceded byPatricia de Lille
Succeeded byDan Plato
In office
8 May 2018 – 15 May 2018
Preceded byPatricia de Lille
Succeeded byPatricia de Lille
Member of the Cape Town City Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 December 2000
ConstituencyWard 3 (2000 - 2006)
Ward 23 (2006 - 2011)
Proportional Representation (2011 - present)
Personal details
Born (1954-10-20) 20 October 1954 (age 69)
Boksburg, South Africa
NationalitySouth Africa South African
Political partyDemocratic Alliance
SpouseElmarie Neilson
Alma materBoksburg High School
University of Cape Town

Ian Douglas Neilson (born 20 October 1954) is a South African civil engineer and politician who currently serves as Deputy Mayor of Cape Town after having taken the office on 27 May 2009. He previously served as the Mayoral Committee Member for Finance from 2006 until 2016 and Executive Councillor for Safety and Health from 2000 until 2002.

He has served as acting Mayor of Cape Town on two brief occasions in 2018, in May and from 31 October until Dan Plato was sworn in on 6 November.

Early life

Ian was born in Boksburg, South Africa. He matriculated from Boksburg High School in 1971. He obtained a B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town in 1975 and a M.Sc. degree in Engineering in 1984.

Professional career

Neilson is a civil engineer and practiced as a consulting engineer in the field of water engineering, He worked across South Africa on various engineering projects. Key water supply projects that he worked on were a detailed basin study of the Luvuvhu River Basin (a tributary of the Limpopo River) and the Orange-Vaal Rivers Weir project (an envisaged alternative to the Lesotho Highlands Water Supply System). He also worked on a number of flood and storm water projects, most notable of which was the design of the canal system at Century City in Cape Town, which later received an award from the Association of Consulting Engineers. It the latter part of his career he established himself as an expert in pipeline design and pipe network planning.

Political career

Ian was involved in politics from his student days at the University of Cape Town where he was involved in opposition to the apartheid government of the day.

His first campaign towards elective office was in the 1987 South African general election, when he was a candidate for the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) in the constituency of Pretoria Central. This constituency was a National Party stronghold and he came forth in the election behind the Conservative Party and the Herstigte Nasionale Party.

He moved back to Cape Town in 1990 and in 1996 was a candidate for the Democratic Party (DP) (a successor of the PFP) in the first local government elections in a new democratic South Africa. He was elected as a Proportional List Councillor to the Council of the Blaauwberg Municipality as the DP's sole representative. He served as a member of the Council's Executive Committee and on the Planning Committee.

In 1999 he was appointed by the Western Cape Minister of Local Government to serve on the Unicity Commission, from 1999 to 2000, that was set up to prepare the consolidation of seven local governments into the Unicity of Cape Town.

Soon before the 5 December 2000 local government election that established the new City of Cape Town, the DP amalgamated with the New National Party (NNP) to form the Democratic Alliance (DA). Ian was elected as a DA councillor for Ward 3, an area extending from the wealthy area of Bloubergstrand to the low-cost housing town of Dunoon. The DA won a majority in that election in Cape Town. Ian was elected by the DA caucus to serve in the city executive as the Executive Councillor for Safety & Health, a position he held until 2002. It was during this period that he established the Cape Town City Police Service and he oversaw the City's first Air Pollution Bylaw and the implementation of the mother-child antiretroviral programme.

In October 2002 a number of former NNP members left the DA to reestablish their former party in the city council. This followed the NNP's withdrawal from the DA the year before. As a result, the DA lost its majority in the Cape Town Council. Ian was shortly thereafter elected as deputy leader of the DA in the council, a position he held for the remainder of the council term.[1] [2][3]

At the local government election of March 2006, Ian was elected as the Ward Councillor for Ward 23, a newly delimited ward that extends from Melkbosstrand to Bloubergstrand and parts of Table View. The DA was returned as the largest party in the City of Cape Town. It formed a multiparty government under the leadership of Executive Mayor Helen Zille. Mayor Zille appointed Ian as the Mayoral committee member for Finance. His term in this post has been characterized by a cleanup of the city's formerly corrupt procurement system, an improved city credit rating and unqualified reports from the Auditor General. He has overseen a significant growth in expenditure on infrastructure, both in terms of new capital works (rising from R1 billion per year to R5 billion per year) and in repairs and maintenance (increasing from R800 million to R1,7 billion per year). The city has also successfully launched three bond loan issues on the Bond Exchange of South Africa, totaling R4,2 billion.

Ian initiated a reform of the city's budgeting process, opening up the budget drafting process to greater political and public scrutiny. On 30 March 2009 he tabled a city budget of R23,8 billion for the 2009/10 Financial Year.[4][5]

Another responsibility that Ian held during the 2006 to 2010 period was as chairperson of the Mayoral Committee subcommittee on the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He oversaw the construction of the new 68,000-seat Cape Town Stadium and the operational preparations for the tournament.

Ian was a Director of the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 2000 until 2002. He has held oversight responsibility for the convention centre since 2006 after he was appointed to the position.

Deputy Mayor of Cape Town

Election

At the national and provincial elections on 22 April 2009, the DA won a majority in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. Helen Zille was elected as Premier of the Western Cape Province and ceased to be the Executive Mayor of Cape Town. In the aftermath of these changes, Dan Plato was elected by the Council as the new Executive Mayor and the composition of the city's multiparty government was changed.

Ian Neilson was elected by the Council as Executive Deputy Mayor on 27 May 2009.[6] He retained the Finance portfolio and chairmanship of the city's 2010 FIFA World Cup committee.[7]

Tenure

The 2011 Local Government Election saw the Democratic Alliance returned to office with an improved vote. It won 61% of the total vote. Ian was returned as a Proportional List Councillor. The new Mayor, Patricia de Lille, nominated him to retain the posts of Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Finance.

In January 2012, Neilson criticized the African National Congress for not paying their R1,8 million bill after the party held their Provincial Congress at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in 2011.[8]

in July 2012, it was announced that the City of Cape Town wanted a R2 Billion loan from a French development bank to finance a range of projects. Neilson said that the projects would include social issues such as improving water services, roads, refuse collection and sewerage. The loan was finalised in October 2012.[9][10]

In April 2013, it was known that the City of Cape Town will in fact not apply any benefits that are allocated to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Speaker. Neilson, who was acting Mayor at the time, released a statement in which it read that the city would not take advantage of the provisions as financial resources should rather be used to fund service delivery programs.[11]

In December 2013, Neilson mentioned that the City of Cape Town received a clean audit from the Auditor-General of South Africa.[12]

In July 2014, the Western Cape police vowed to arrest the murderers of three Cape Town police officers. Neilson said that he was shocked by the killings.[13]

In August 2014, it was proposed that the Desmond & Leah Tutu Foundation would move into the Granary building in Buitenkant Street, Cape Town. Neilson, in responding to the various questions, said that the City of Cape Town finance portfolio had allocated R30 Million for the extensive renovations of the building.[14]

In January 2015, Neilson told Fin24 that issue of loadshedding is having a severe impact on the economic confidence and operation of various businesses in Cape Town.[15]

In July 2015, it was revealed that the City of Cape Town would assist with the funeral costs of Asisipho Dana after she was killed in a stampede at a tavern in Khayelitsha. Neilson stated that the family of the victim had approached the city for assistance.[16]

In January 2016, the City of Cape Town Democratic Alliance Caucus members signed an anti-racism pledge. Neilson said that the reason the pledge was signed by all the councillors, was to acknowledge the evil of Apartheid after DA MP, Dianne Kohler-Barnard, posted a controversial Facebook post.[17]

In July 2016, Neilson awarded the fictional traveller, Dora the Explorer, with an honorary Key to Cape Town. This was the second Key to the City that the fictional character received after the eThekwini municipality granted her one.[18]

After the 2016 Local Government election when the Cape Town City Council reconvened, he was re-elected to a third term as Deputy Mayor of Cape Town. Councillor Johannes van der Merwe succeeded him as Mayoral Committee Member for Finance.

In March 2017, after the deadly fire in Imizamo Yethu township located in Hout Bay. Neilson announced that the city is planning to redesign the township and that the Western Cape government had offered to assist in funeral costs for the victims.[19]

In November 2017, Neilson brought forward a motion to place three senior officials of the municipality, Melissa Whitehead, Achmat Ebrahim and Craig Kesson, under precautionary suspension and investigate them for corruption allegations. The motion was unanimously approved by the Cape Town City Council.[20]

In January 2018, Mayor Patricia de Lille was barred from managing the city's severe water crisis. Neilson was appointed to head the City of Cape Town's response to worst recorded drought in the city's history with Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste Services.[21] Neilson received some backlash for an interview he did News24, when he was asked about Day Zero, he responded with "Anything to do with Day Zero. If those are all Day Zero questions, this is the wrong time to ask me."[22] He later apologised for his behaviour during the interview. During his tenure as head of the task team, desalination plants were constructed to supply the city with water for when Day Zero was to come into effect.[23]

On 8 May 2018, the Democratic Alliance ceased Mayor Patricia de Lille's party membership, effectively removing her as Mayor of Cape Town and councillor with immediate effect. Speaker of the Cape Town City Council, Dirk Smith, appointed Neilson to serve as acting Mayor until a new Mayor is elected.[24] The ANC Western Cape provincial branch declared that they would still recognize de Lille as Mayor of Cape Town. De Lille told the various media outlets that she would be approaching the court to have her removal suspended.[25] Also, de Lille rejected an offer the Democratic Alliance to keep the position of Cape Town Mayor temporarily open while the parties discuss the matter in court.[26] Neilson was supposed to be appointing his interim Mayoral Committee, but the decision was delayed to May 14. On the same day, the Western Cape High Court ruled to reinstate de Lille as Mayor.[27]

On 5 August 2018, de Lille announced that she would be resigning as Mayor on 31 October 2018, after months of infighting. Neilson declared his candidacy for the post, but subsequently lost to former Cape Town Mayor, Dan Plato.[28]

On 31 October 2018, Patricia de Lille resigned as Mayor. Neilson was immediately announced as acting Mayor of Cape Town. He served until Dan Plato was elected.

References

  1. ^ "Secret process 'just tip of a dirty iceberg'".
  2. ^ "Mfeketo 'was aware' of jewellery project deal".
  3. ^ "The sweet scent of an election victory".
  4. ^ "Electricity increase on the cards for Cape".
  5. ^ "Cape spends to reduce power failure risk".
  6. ^ "Neilson is Cape's new deputy mayor".
  7. ^ "Hosting World Cup draw to cost Cape Town R11m".
  8. ^ "Bill still owed for earlier congress". 2012-01-07.
  9. ^ "Mother City wants R2bn loan". 2012-07-18.
  10. ^ "Strikes not the end of the world". 2012-10-04.
  11. ^ "No frills for de Lille – City of Cape Town". 2013-04-03.
  12. ^ "Cape Town receives clean audit". December 2013.
  13. ^ "Manhunt under way for cop killers". July 2014.
  14. ^ "Tutu Foundation to lease 200 year old building". 2014-08-11.
  15. ^ "Poor load shedding plans affect businesses". 2015-01-28.
  16. ^ "Mayor to cover funeral costs of teen killed in tavern stampede". 2015-07-10.
  17. ^ "City of Cape Town DA caucus signs anti-racism pledge". 2016-01-28.
  18. ^ "Dora the Explorer gets the 'Key to Cape Town'". 2016-07-14.
  19. ^ "Rebuilding Imizamo Yethu will cost R100m – City of Cape Town". 2017-03-16.
  20. ^ "3 top City of Cape Town officials face suspension over corruption allegations". 2017-11-21.
  21. ^ "Cape Town's drought crisis team closed down - City". 2018-01-30.
  22. ^ "Cape Town deputy mayor apologises for his behaviour during News24's Day Zero interview". February 2018.
  23. ^ "City of Cape Town confident about safety of desalination plants". 2018-02-03.
  24. ^ "Patricia de Lille told to vacate office, return City of Cape Town property". 2018-05-08.
  25. ^ "ANC still recognises de Lille as Cape Town mayor". 2018-05-09.
  26. ^ "De Lille rejects offer to keep mayoral position temporarily open, wants reinstatement". 2018-05-10.
  27. ^ "'Lame duck' de Lille 'can sit in the office and drink tea', says Cape Town deputy mayor". 2018-05-15.
  28. ^ "Here Are the DA Candidates to be Cape Town's Next Mayor".
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