Saldanha Bay mayor steps down
André Truter is hanging up his mayoral chain.
After a four-year-and-two-month run in the hot seat, the Saldanha Bay mayor is heading for the private sector.
Truter said serving the people of the small Western Cape town had been the “greatest honour” of his life.
“It was the best time of my life,” he told IOL on Friday.
“It was hard work, but I loved every minute of it.”
His last day in office will be Saturday.
Deputy mayor Charmaine Laubscher will take over immediately, after which the process to appoint a new mayor will begin.
Before becoming mayor, Truter said he served as a ward councillor from 2018 and joined the mayoral committee in 2019.
He served on the mayoral committee until 2021, when he was elected mayor.
Truter said he would remain a member of the DA.
“I will continue to live by the party’s values even as I move into the private sector,” he said.
“I am especially proud to have served his ward in Saldanha before becoming mayor.”
The DA confirmed Truter’s departure in a statement.
Provincial party leader Tertius Simmers said during his time in office, the municipality achieved five clean audits.
He said it also rolled out the Baobab Fibre Project, won a Green Drop Award for the Hopefield Wastewater Treatment Works, opened a new R12m central fire station and was recognised as a top performer in the 2023 Municipal Waste Management Programme.
Truter had become a familiar face on social media during the search for six-year-old Joshlin Smith.
Little Joshlin went missing from the Middelpos area in Saldanha Bay in February 2024.
She disappeared from her home, setting off a large search that drew national attention.
Police, volunteers and residents spent months searching the area as concern for the child grew.
During that time, Truter regularly shared updates and appeals on social media, urging anyone with information to come forward.
He was also seen on the ground in the community as the search continued.
Her mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, along with Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, were later found guilty and sentenced for her kidnapping and human trafficking.
IOL