Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will, this afternoon, be sworn in as the new GOOD Party member of the provincial legislature after being picked to replace former MPL Shaun August whose party membership was terminated almost a fortnight ago.
After the announcement, De Villiers, who has been serving the GOOD Party as a councillor on the Drakenstein municipality, said it was a great honour to serve his beloved Drakenstein community as a councillor and he was ready to do more.
“Now I have the opportunity to serve the wider Western Cape community. I will use the same tools that have served me for many years – listening to others, considering what they say, and being constructive in response.”
De Villiers, who stood as a mayoral candidate for Drakenstein in the 2021 municipal elections, served on the council until July 2022 when he resigned from politics after the tragic death of his wife a few months earlier.
After a six-month hiatus, De Villiers was convinced to return to active politics and returned to the Drakenstein municipality as a councillor to replace former GOOD Party councillor Edgar Arendse whose membership was terminated.
At the time, De Villiers said: “I am ready to continue where I left off and will hit the ground running. I look forward to implementing the GOOD Party’s plan and to growing our movement. I look forward to all the challenges that come with this opportunity and will do my best to serve my community and the people of South Africa, as I have always done.”
De Villiers is best known for his successful stint as Springbok rugby coach from 2008 to 2011. He was the first national rugby coach of colour.
A statement from the GOOD Party said: “Though he struggled to gain acceptance from verkrampte rugby officials, writers and fans, his results against all the top teams in the world, including the All Blacks in New Zealand, spoke for themselves.”
Before rugby, De Villiers had a 20-year career as a teacher. He rose through the ranks to serve as a head of department, deputy principal and acting principal.
Ten days ago, after August’s expulsion, there was already speculation about who would replace him in the provincial legislature, but GOOD Secretary General Brett Herron said at the time: “The party has selection processes and these have not even commenced yet.”
On Sunday evening, August himself dismissed the party’s selection process and speculated that De Villiers would be his replacement.
“Nobody needs to go for any interview as they have already orchestrated that Peter de Villiers will be the next MPL,” he said.
August, who had been an MP until February last year, switched places with Herron who until then had been a member of the provincial legislature.
Yesterday, Herron said De Villiers was selected to fill the Western Cape position by GOOD Party’s National Management Committee after interviews conducted over the weekend.
“Peter de Villiers is a humble and honest leader, with no interest in tenders or political games. He is going to Wale Street because he wants to contribute to developing a province that is fairer, with a place in the sun for all its people,” he said.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za