Executive Mayor Grant Riddles was born on 24 October 1981, in Riversdale. He grew up in Melkhoutfontein, a suburban town 7km’s from Still Bay and he and his wife now live in Still Bay with their two children.
Grant matriculated from Gerrit Du Plessis High School in Riversdale, did a computer technician course at Boland College, and several short courses in financial management.
Having been very involved with the Badisa social welfare organisation, Melkhoutfontein’s primary school and its local rugby, Grant joined the DA in 2012. Before he was elected as executive mayor of Hessequa, Grant worked in the municipality’s Finance Department.
He now works to build a community founded on the values of freedom, fairness and opportunity for all residents, especially the needy. His personal motto is to “stay positive and believe in yourself so that you can keep moving forward”.
Grant’s vision for Hessequa Municipality is to encourage economic growth so that more people can get out of poverty. This can be done by empowering the underprivileged with the necessary skills and knowledge they haven’t had access to, and by creating a climate where everyone in the community feels the responsibility to care for one another.