- Sue van der Linde, founder of Iris House Children’s Hospital, won the Ward 113 by-election with 97.96% of the vote, marking a new era of leadership for the community.
- Van der Linde plans to address key issues such as infrastructure improvements, community engagement, and public safety, reflecting her constituents’ concerns.
- She emphasises tackling homelessness with long-term solutions and aims to foster open communication with residents through monthly meetings.
Recent Ward 113 by-elections have brought a new face to the forefront of the community, ushering in a new era of leadership and vision for local neighbourhoods.
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DA candidate Sue van der Linde, founder of Iris House Children’s Hospital, was elected the new Ward 113 councillor.
This long-time community advocate secured a decisive win, with 97,96% of the vote and a voter turnout of over 3 600.
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Her victory marks the beginning of a new era for the ward as she promises to bring fresh perspectives and proactive solutions to the table.
The newly-elected councillor has pledged to focus on key issues such as infrastructure improvements, increased community engagement and enhanced public safety, reflecting the concerns and aspirations of her constituents. The by-election last week was called after long-time councillor Dr Joy Solomon resigned in March.
Background
Van der Linde has been a proud resident of Table View for the past four years. She started her career at Edcon as a senior buyer, then joined H2L as marketing director.
She has won various awards for her NPO, including the “Rare Diamond Award”.
She was selected to train police officers and first responders dealing with GBVF victims with disabilities.
Van der Linde told TygerBurger she felt the need to make a change on a larger scale and joined the DA three and a half years ago. Asking what changes residents can look forward to, she said she will tackle safety and cleanliness in the ward.
Plans
Van der Linde plansto work with other councillors for long-term solutions.
“I will make as big a dent on it as I can in this two years. That also includes cleaning our parks and making them safe and secure for the residents. I don’t want people to live in Ward 113 and be afraid in their own homes. But I also know that I can’t just bulldoze things. These are people we’re talking about and it is not a one-sided solution.”
Priding herself on her openness and hoping for more communication with residents, Van der Linde planned to set up a monthly ‘meet the councillor’ meeting for residents to air their concerns.
