Politicians create chaos while NMB residents suffer

The people of Nelson Mandela Bay must be ashamed of the hooligans they elected to run their local metro. That council has been a scene of chaos since the DA-led coalition government was formed after the 2016 elections. They have thrown fists, water jugs and whatever they could find at each other. The metro is without a deputy mayor after mayor Athol Trollip got rid of the UDM’s Mongameli Bobani. On Thursday they were at it again, pushing and shoving each other as the opposition fought for a motion of no confidence in Trollip. You could have been forgiven for mistaking the council chamber for a beerhall. Similar scenes are expected when the meeting reconvenes in two weeks.

This instability is poised to trickle down to staff, which will have an adverse impact on the functioning of the municipality. Residents will be the victims as service delivery is affected. The metro already has serious service-delivery problems, including a housing backlog for 85 000. The city also has a R21-billion water and sanitation infrastructure backlog.

The people who are waiting for these services may have to wait longer should the instability persist. When the EFF chose to get into bed with the DA it was aware of the party’s policies on land reform. The EFF voted for Trollip not because it had faith in his leadership or thought he was the right leader for the metro, it did so to spite Jacob Zuma’s ANC. Now the EFF wants him out not because he has failed as mayor, but because it is flirting with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC.

The ANC in that area must be commended for refusing to bow to the EFF’s demand to field a candidate to replace Trollip. All the political parties must sit down and find a solution that will bring stability in the council for the sake of residents. If they conclude that there must be a change of leadership, that decision must be informed by the need to improve the functioning of the municipality to speed up service delivery.

It is about time politicians put their egos aside and the needs of the people first.