Party points to its success in Bay

As the opposition awaits a decision on its petition for a council meeting to change the Nelson Mandela Bay government, the DA is calling attention to its performance over the past two years.

Speaker Jonathan Lawack has yet to respond to the petition, signed by 61 opposition councillors and Patriotic Alliance councillor Marlon Daniels – a member of the current coalition – to hold a meeting by Friday.

Lawack said on Monday he would respond to the councillors in his own time.

The opposition councillors submitted a number of motions, which include the removal of Bay mayor Athol Trollip, speaker Jonathan Lawack and chief whip Werner Senekal, and also to have the council rescind its decision to scrap the deputy mayor position.

Meanwhile, DA Eastern Cape leader and Bay councillor Nqaba Bhanga said the coalition government was delivering services and keeping its promise of running a clean city.

“With R2.5bn in the bank, NMB is in its best financial position in years and the ANC has now fixed its sights on undoing the progress achieved by the DA-led coalition government,” Bhanga said.

The DA-led coalition in the metro had inherited a municipality that had been in a dire financial position – caused by the ANC – he said.

He said the coalition had promised to root out corrupt senior officials, promised residents a well-run city and had uncovered R615m worth of corruption and irregularities.

“The city has [spent] close to R1.1bn on capital works that have directly improved the lives of the poor.

“The improved finances gave [us] the opportunity to put together a second successive pro-poor budget for 2018/2019,” he said.