Ashley Sauls, the former councillor and member of the mayoral committee for health and social development, has been appointed the new mayor of Beaufort West.
Sauls is the second member of the party after Gayton McKenzie to wear the mayoral chain in the province. McKenzie is the mayor of Central Karoo after he was elected mayor in April 2022.
In an interview with Sunday World on Tuesday, Sauls said he will carry forth the legacy that McKenzie started.
“As you know that the current district mayor of the Central Karoo, his excellency Mr Gayton McKenzie, together with coalition partners of the ANC and KDF [Karoo Democratic Force] has already made some great strides in what needs to be done in the Beaufort West municipality, with projects that have already been done and announced to take place,” Sauls.
“So, with that said, I am just here to water and ensure the sustainability of the things that are already in process. I am very excited for that.”
Mckenzie said Sauls will be the party’s premier candidate for the Western Cape, saying he is capable of serving the people.
Sauls shared that his focus for the first 100 days in office will zoom in on a long-term solution for water shortage challenges and finding a solution for energy crises with hopes to tackle this with a renewable energy project.
He stressed that service delivery with timeframes, economic stability and job creation remains on top of his list.
“These will obviously come through the projects that are already in progress. As we speak, we have the logistical hub development project where a service provider has already been appointed, the flips housing project where the service provider has already been appointed, and other projects in the pipeline like a private hospital, a golf course, residential development, civic centre, airport and a renewable energy IPP [independent power producer].
“These plans will empower the residents of Beaufort west, if we execute them correctly.”
Sauls, who is also known as the hysterical comedian “Oom Biza”, explained further: “In their laughter to my jokes, I picked up that there is a deep sense of suffering. I saw that I impacted them greatly, but I had the urge to do more for them and I do not regret it.
“I will no longer do the whole comedy scene. But Oom Biza is still alive and well, he is now Oom Biza van die Kaap [Uncle Biza from the Cape], as I will relocate to the Western Cape, but his roots are in Kliptown.”
Media liaison specialist Shannon Thompson, who has worked closely with Sauls, said: “Ashley Sauls is an influential individual who solely believes in serving people to the best of his ability, he always said that the higher your position in office goes, that’s when one should go even lower to help the next person.
“Over the years I’ve worked with him, he always gives a sense of care which in simple terms means ‘called to act with passion, respond with compassion and executing [Care] our duties with military precision.”
Sauls added: “I am not here to build a winning team, I am here to join the winning team, [there’s] no time to rest but time to get our hands dirty, as one we will work to turn Beaufort West into the next Dubai.”
Ashley Sauls’ long-time girlfriend, who is also the sensational singer and former Jamali group member Liesl Penniken, shared on social media how proud she is of her Deksel (pot lid).
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