Trollip out as metro mayor
IN A shock move in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro yesterday, DA Mayor Athol Trollip was booted from office and replaced by his nemesis, the United Democratic Movement’s (UDM) Mongameli Bobani.
The drama unfolded hours after council Speaker Jonathan Lawack was removed through a no-confidence motion.
DA councillor Victor Manyati had abstained from the vote, and his party membership was suspended.
Manyati said: “I’ve taken a sober decision not to vote with the DA today. I have personal reasons. I need change in this metro, in fact I need change not only in the metro but in the entire country.”
Manyati said he would be leaving the DA and claimed that black councillors were unhappy in the party. He later denied telling the media he would be leaving the DA.
The motion against Lawack was brought by Bobani, and votes tallied were 59 against and 60 for the motion.
For a short while after Lawack’s removal, municipal manager Johan Mettler presided over the meeting and later declared a vacancy after DA federal executive chairperson James Selfe wrote a letter indicating Manyati’s party membership would be suspended. After a vacancy was declared, the DA and its coalition partners, Cope and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), walked out of chambers but opposition parties were adamant at the time the motions would be heard.
Mettler told the remaining councillors from the ANC, UDM, EFF, the African Independent Congress (AIC), and United Front (UF) that there was no quorum and he too left chambers.
Later on in the day, Mettler did an about-turn after he sent a text message to ANC councillor Rory Riordan stating that he would retract declaring a vacancy and a council meeting should reconvene within seven days. Meanwhile, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) member of the executive, Fikile Xasa, had sent a senior official to preside over the council meeting and oversee the election of a new council Speaker.
The ANC’s Buyelwa Mafaya was elected as the new Speaker.
Other motions which had been in the pipeline for months were moved and carried unanimously with 61 councillors in chambers. Elected as the new deputy executive mayor was the AIC’s Thsonono Buyeye.
The ANC’s Bicks Ndoni was elected as the chief whip of council. Bobani wasted no time in electing his new mayco team assuring residents that the “honeymoon season starts now”.
“The previously disadvantaged people… (for them) it is their time. We want to empower our people. We are not going to sit in our offices, we will hunt them and go to them. We want to know the problems, we want to fix the problems,” said Bobani.
The mayco team is as follows: Infrastructure and Engineering Andile Lungisa (ANC), Human Settlements Andile Mfunda (ANC), Economic Development Queenie Pink (ANC), Budget and Treasury Mkhuseli Mtsila (UF), Constituency Services Thumi Renyele (ANC), Public Health Yolisa Pali (ANC), Roads and Transport Rosie Frollick (ANC), Safety and Security Litho Suka (ANC), Corporate Services Makhi Feni (ANC), Sports, Arts, Culture Lehlonono Mfana (ANC), MPAC Yoliswa Yako (EFF).
DA leader Mmusi Maimane, Trollip and national spokesperson Solly Malatsi are expected to comment today.
DA provincial leader Nqaba Bhanga accused the ANC, UDM and EFF of sharing a common interest. “It is a battle between those who want to plunder state resources for themselves and their friends and those who are working tirelessly to empower the citizens of our nation,” he said.