Former Ward 31 Democratic Alliance Councillor, Chris Pappas, is excited to have been voted as the incoming mayor of the hotly contested uMngeni Local Municipality. “I am still taking it all in and I am ready to serve the people of uMngeni,” he said.
The 30-year-old Pappas made historic victory as the DA won its first outright majority in KwaZulu-Natal in the Local Government Elections which took place on Monday. Speaking to the Springfield Weekly Gazette, Cllr Pappas said being a local councillor grounded him. His former ward included Overport, Sydenham and Musgrave areas. “As a Ward 31 Councillor I worked with people from different race groups and different cultures. This helped me understand the different communities I worked with. I am excited about being the newly-elected mayor for uMngeni and I am still taking it all in. I am happy that residents have faith in me and I will not let them down. On my first day of office, I will make sure that the administration realises that there is a new culture of excellent performance and service delivery is my number-one goal,” said Cllr Pappas.
Cllr Pappas grew up on a family farm in Mooi River in the Midlands with his parents and sister. Apart from his love for politics, Cllr Pappas has a vibrant and colourful personality. He speaks and writes English, isiZulu, Afrikaans and French. He said he loves singing and was the head of choir at Hilton College, where he matriculated with six A’s. He also loves gumboot dancing and doing community outreach projects. His hobbies include his job and gym. Hesaid his favourite food includes his mother’s home-cooked pie, steak with egg and chips. DA Provincial Leader, Francois Rodgers, said they are overjoyed by the results of the uMngeni Local Municipality. “This indicates that the residents of uMngeni are tired of poor service delivery, corruption and the ANC. We now look forward to our mayoral elect to take charge of the municipality. Under the leadership of the DA and Chris, we will make sure that residents get effective and affordable service delivery which is exactly what they need,” said Rodgers.
