Jonathan Mills is the ward councillor candidate contesting Ward 107 in Table View. The by-election is on Wednesday June 28.
The chairman of the Fish Hoek Community Police Forum has resigned to pursue a career in politics.
Jonathan Mills will contest Table View’s Ward 107 as a DA candidate in a by-election on Wednesday June 28.
He has lived in Fish Hoek for five years and has been actively involved in the community.
In 2016, he founded the CareCompany, a non-profit organisation that provides home-based care for the elderly across the Western Cape and Gauteng, and in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
He has been a supporter of the Masiphumelele Neighbourhood Watch and seniors’ clubs in Ocean View, Masiphumelele, and Westlake. He has served as chairman of the False Bay Hospital Trust as well as a member of the hospital’s board. He has been the DA’s Ward 64 branch chairman and treasurer of the Wynberg CPF cluster board.
He has resigned from his positions at the CPF and the False Bay Hospital Trust and will be stepping back from the day-to-day running of the CareCompany but will remain chairman of the trustees.
Mr Mills said that should he be elected, he would continue his passion for supporting community groups just as he had done in Fish Hoek.
However, he added, he would always have a “soft spot” for Fish Hoek.
Wynberg CPF cluster chairwoman Shamiela Nicholas said a special general meeting would be held this week and a new chairman, and possibly a new executive committee, would need to be appointed within 21 days of that meeting.
In the meantime, the CPF’s secretary, Sidney Osbourne, would liaise between SAPS and the forum, she said.
The chairman of the False Bay Hospital board, Dr Peter Jacka, said Mr Mills had been an important member, providing thoughtful and measured opinions, and, as chairman of the trust, Mr Mills had helped to steer it through turbulent times when two founding members had suddenly quit.
“I am not sure that the trust would have survived if it were not for Joffy. He put in a huge amount of work and thanks largely to him, the trust has been able to contribute significant funds to False Bay Hospital for improvement and upgrades. He will be sorely missed, and I want to thank him most sincerely for all his hard work, and I wish him everything of the best in his new endeavour,” Dr Jacka said.
Fish Hoek station commander Lieutenant Colonel Jackie Johnson said Mr Mills, as CPF chairman, had confidently tackled the difficult task of bridging the gap between SAPS and the community.
“We just want to thank him for the work that he has done during his term of office, and we wish him well. He is a community person so I’m sure he will do well,” she said.
Ocean View CPF chairman Mansoer Ismail said he and Mr Mills had worked “closely together”. They had fund-raised for jackets for the Masiphumelele Neighbourhood Watch and helped fire victims in Masiphumelele.
“He is a hard-working man, and I wish him all the best in his new adventure as a politician, and I hope he can change more people’s lives on the other side of the world,” he said.
The founder of the Fish Hoek Central Neighbourhood Watch, Rob Freeman, said he was sad to see Mr Mills go.
“Being a new kid on the block and starting up a neighbourhood watch, I did not have a lot of support, but Jonathan has been supportive of us from the beginning. He is passionate about safety and security in the valley, and his energy will be missed.”