Dan Plato

He has been involved in political activities since high school, particularly in Cape Town's northern suburbs. He was a community organiser and played a significant role in rallying people against the apartheid regime.[1] The Emergency Services Unit of the former Bellville Municipality (Tygerberg Administration) employed him in the 1980s. Plato became a member of the National Party in 1990. He later became the Cape Town Chairperson of the South African National Tuberculosis Association during the mid-1990s.[2]

In 1996, Plato was elected as a Cape Metro councillor for the Belhar, Uitsig and Ravensmead region. He became a member of the council executive the following year. He served two terms as Chairperson of the City of Cape Town's Economic Development, Tourism and Property Management Portfolio Committee.[1]

He managed the Housing portfolio in the Mayoral Committee from 2006 to 2009. During the same period, he was Deputy Chairperson of both the DA Metro Region and the DA Caucus in the City of Cape Town. He had also served as acting mayor at various intervals. Shortly before being elected mayor in May 2009, Plato had taken over as the Mayoral Committee Member responsible for Service Delivery and Economic Development.[2]

In addition to his political activities, he has served on the boards of multiple organisations, including the Cape Film Commission, Cape Tourism, the University of the Western Cape and the Business Opportunities Network. He had also been a member of several community-based trusts. Plato was previously co-owner of National Pride Holdings Pty (Ltd).[2]

On 30 April 2009, Helen Zille resigned as Mayor of Cape Town. Plato declared his candidacy for the post and was ultimately selected as the party's preferred candidate.[3]

Plato was elected Mayor of Cape Town on 12 May 2009. He won with 119 votes to the ANC candidate Belinda Landingwe's 69 votes, while six councillors abstained from the vote.[4]

During his tenure as mayor, controversial open-air toilets were built in the Makhaza region of Khayelitsha. The Democratic Alliance defended its decision to build the toilets. The Western Cape High Court later ruled against it.[5]

Cape Town hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He banned the old South African flag from being present at soccer matches at the Cape Town Stadium after he described the flag as being detrimental to the country's image.

The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs rated Cape Town as the best-managed city in South Africa, while the Auditor-General awarded the city with a rating for good governance and accountability.[6]

Plato introduced many job creation projects and made reducing unemployment one of the focus points of his mayoral agenda.

In 2010, Plato announced his candidacy for the post of Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance. He lost to incumbent Theuns Botha. He received 123 votes compared to Botha's 543 and Lennit Max's 317.[7]

In 2011, Plato declared his intention to seek a full term as Mayor of Cape Town ahead of the upcoming 2011 municipal elections. His challengers for the post were Mayoral Committee Member for Social Development, Grant Pascoe, Mayoral Committee Member for Housing, Shehaam Sims, and Leader of the Independent Democrats, Patricia de Lille. De Lille defeated Plato in an internal party election. Plato left office on 1 June 2011.[8][9][10]

Judge O'Regan and Adv. Pikoli (centre table) with Dan Plato and Helen Zille (left table) at the Khayelitsha Commission handover ceremony.

Western Cape Premier Zille reshuffled her Provincial Cabinet in May 2011 and appointed Plato to the post of Provincial Minister for Community Safety, succeeding Albert Fritz. She said in a statement: "I am confident he will make a major contribution, not only to the community safety portfolio but to the provincial cabinet as a whole." He took office on 1 June 2011.[11]

In October 2018, Zille announced that Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde, would succeed Plato. Plato effectively resigned from the provincial government on 31 October 2018 and Winde took office the next day.[12]

Plato with United States Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks.

In August 2018, Plato declared his candidacy to replace De Lille as Mayor of Cape Town after she had announced her intention to resign on 31 October 2018.[13]

On 18 September 2018, the Democratic Alliance announced that Plato would succeed De Lille. Plato defeated many prominent candidates for the nomination, including the Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Sharna Fernandez, and Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, Ian Neilson.[14]

On 1 November 2018, Plato took office as a councillor. The day before the ceremony, Patricia de Lille formally resigned as Mayor of Cape Town. A former acquaintance of Patricia de Lille, Brett Herron, resigned as a councillor after the ceremony along with many other councillors, in protest against the removal of De Lille and the mayoralty of Plato.[15][16]

Plato was elected Mayor of Cape Town on 6 November 2018 during a special council sitting. He received 146 out of 202 valid votes. His main challengers were Xolani Sotashe of the African National Congress and Grant Haskin of the African Christian Democratic Party. Sotashe received 53 votes while Haskin got 3 votes. Six ballots were spoilt.[17]

On 1 August 2020, Plato declared that he was a candidate for regional chairperson of the Democratic Alliance.[18] He was elected at the party's regional conference in October 2020, defeating incumbent Grant Twigg.[19][20]