Democracy on Board

Last weekend the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) elected a new Gauteng Council. Voting took place throughout the day at our Gauteng Council Conference, the first half of a rare double event that ended with the Great Mayoral Debate, where more than 400 community members heard from this year’s Johannesburg mayoral candidates. 

Twenty people were nominated for 15 seats on the Gauteng Council, and more than 150 delegates from the affiliated organisations that make up the Board of Deputies cast their votes. Huge congratulations to the new Gauteng Council: Gila Abramson, Jonti Brozin, Daniella Freinkel, Dr Sheri Hanson, Rabbi Dovid Hazdan, Ruby Ichikowitz, Zev Krengel, Sarah Levy, Shaun Matisonn, Bethia Milner, Danny Mofsowitz, Gavin Rome, Rabbi David Shaw, and Monica Solomon. I am honoured to have been elected alongside them. 

The delegate and affiliate system we use makes the elections a microcosm of our community, and it is what allows the Board to speak as a truly representative body. The process was overseen by our presiding officer, national vice-president Mary Kluk, who drew on her experience as elections chair for the World Jewish Congress. It was very well managed, and the audited results were released on the night. 

Looking at that list, I see the full spectrum of our community represented, which is exactly as it should be for a body that speaks for all of us. We take office at a busy and important time, and I look forward to the work ahead. 

At the conference, the current chair and vice-chair of the Gauteng Council, Danny Mofsowitz and Dr Sheri Hanson, presented the year’s work, and the list of achievements was remarkable. Listening to them, I was struck again by how much a committed group of volunteers can carry on behalf of an entire community, much of it out of public view. My heartfelt thanks go to the outgoing Council, which did a tremendous job. 

The conference also honoured Reeva Forman and Bernard Shull with life vice-presidencies in recognition of the decades of service they have given to the SAJBD and to the Jewish community more broadly. They are both incredible examples of dedication to our community, and we are eternally grateful. 

Then came the debate. We were joined by an impressive array of parties and their mayoral candidates for Johannesburg, all ably managed by Mandy Wiener. We are fortunate to have people of her stature in our community, and even more fortunate that they are willing to give their time and skill to us. Her questions were probing, and she came back again and again to coalitions. Anyone who’s followed Johannesburg politics over the past few years will understand why. The contestation was rigorous, at times robust, but respectful throughout. That cannot be taken for granted in our politics at the moment, and it was a pleasure to watch. 

What I take from Sunday is that democracy is not only something we observe from the outside. In a single day, under one roof, we queued to vote for our own leadership and then heard candidates for the city’s highest office questioned hard. Both matter. The demands we place on our democracy for free and fair elections are the same principles we hold our own institutions to. 

Finally, the municipal elections are coming soon. We have chosen our communal leadership, and now we must help choose our city’s government. Sunday’s debate gave us a clearer view of who wants to run our city and how they plan to govern it. Now it is up to us. I encourage everyone to make sure they are registered and to go out and vote.