MOSSEL BAY NEWS -  After serving as a proportional representative (PR) councillor for two years, Vinienne Porter of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has officially resigned from her position on the Mossel Bay Municipal Council.

The Mossel Bay Municipality confirmed it had received Porter’s resignation on 10 February, and that it will take effect on 1 March.

Porter has claimed there was “constant fighting” over the one municipal council seat the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had allocated to the PA since the local government elections in 2021, which allegedly caused “great havoc and instability within the party”.

At the time, the PA placed its then mayoral candidate Faizell Porter into that seat. Vinienne told Mossel Bay Advertiser that fellow party member Elzaan Pietersen was the PA’s second choice after Faizell.

Faizell then resigned from the municipal council position in March 2024, creating a vacancy. Pietersen was offered his seat, but declined as she was also offered a role in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP), which she accepted.

The IEC-allocated seat was then awarded to Vinienne.

Now, two years later, Vinienne claims the PA pressured her to resign from her position as councillor to allow Pietersen, who has since left the WCPP, to step in. Pietersen is the PA’s Mossel Bay mayoral candidate for the 2026 local government elections. 

Vinienne alleges Pietersen is now vying for the seat she previously declined in 2024 when it was offered to her.

The PA’s secretary general, Chinelle Stevens, responded to the allegations, saying that, where possible, the party has made changes to bring its mayoral candidates into the council they are campaigning for. 

“This happens all the time in all political parties and we reject any notion that Cllr [Vinienne] Porter is being targeted or that Elzaan Pietersen was pushing for anything,” said Stevens. 

“Cllr [Vinienne] Porter has been made a very reasonable offer for a different position where her skills would be of value to the party. She has made it clear that she thinks she is being targeted, but the fact is that this is simply the party exercising its policy to position the mayoral candidates in the council that they are contesting for. It’s as simple as that.”

Vinienne has declined to comment on Stevens’ statements and told the Advertiser she would continue to serve the Mossel Bay community in her own capacity, as well as “any capacity and/or platform where my service is valued and respected”.

The municipality also confirmed that the IEC has been informed of Vinienne’s resignation and that due processes will follow. 

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