Conflict erupts between Bay’s coalition partners
INFORMAL talks and secret meetings have kicked into high gear as political parties in Nelson Mandela Bay prepare for what is expected to be one of the toughest council meetings since the coalition government took over.
At stake is the fate of the two most senior leaders of the municipality – DA mayor Athol Trollip and his deputy, the UDM’s Mongameli Bobani – who are at each others’ throats.
While Trollip said on Tuesday the DA would table a motion in the council to remove Bobani as deputy mayor, Bobani is said to be lobbying opposition parties to not only reject such a move, but to support a bid to remove Trollip as mayor.
Anything could change, however, over the next five days as a meeting between the top leadership of all the coalition partners is tentatively set down for Monday – a day before the council meeting.
The feud between Bobani and Trollip reached tipping point this week, when the deputy mayor was ousted as a member of the mayoral committee in charge of the public health portfolio.
This sparked what is believed to be a fresh round of discussions among opposition parties over what to do should the two motions be tabled.
To pass any motion to remove Bobani, the DA – which has 57 of a total 120 seats – will need an additional four votes.
Should it have the two seats of its coalition partners COPE and ACDP in the bag, the DA would need the help of other opposition parties for the remaining two seats. The other seat allocations in the council are: ANC (50), EFF (6), UDM (2), United Front (1), AIC (1) and the Patriotic Alliance (1).
Bobani, meanwhile, declined to comment on whether or not he was lobbying opposition parties to remove Trollip as mayor.
However, on the proposed motion to oust him, Bobani said he was confident Trollip would not get a single vote.
UDM president Bantu Holomisa was furious on Tuesday night when news broke of Bobani’s removal from the mayoral committee.
Holomisa felt the DA had not followed procedures set out in the coalition agreement to resolve disputes and ignored his request for a meeting with leaders of the coalition partners.
Yesterday, he said there was a proposal for all national party leaders to meet.
“If there are accusations against our member, it must be discussed by the national leadership.”
He said if Bobani had misused public funds and was charged by the police, they would suspend him.
“Just because they differ in opinion about procedures, you can’t expel a person for that.”
DA leader Mmusi Maimane could not be reached for comment. — Additional reporting by Johnnie Isaac