Where’s that stand on no corruption now?
I remember in early 1990 attending a briefing chaired by General Bantu Holomisa that was held in Mthatha.
Among those invited were suppliers of goods and services to the Transkei government as well as local commercial customers or end users.
The good general made it abundantly clear that his declared war on corruption was succeeding, detailing corrective action taken since his ouster of Stella Sigcau some two years earlier.
Holomisa ended the briefing with an unambiguous warning of the possible consequences that fraud and corruption in Transkei would provoke.
Fast forward to today and a recent book, How to Steal a City, by Chippy Olver.
In that book our current mayor, Mongameli Bobani, is labelled as being “deeply corrupt”.
The mayor is a UDM councillor and Holomisa is the leader of the UDM.
What has happened to the noble ideals of the general?
Mike Brink Port Elizabeth
Mayor Mongameli Bobani swings around in the mayor’s chair.
The excitement of at last sitting in the chair is huge.
Congratulations Mr Bobani.
You fought hard for this position and got it at last.
What a chance to show what you can do!
This is what you wanted. And let me remind you if you don’t already know it, there’s a salary increase and an increase in power, and – my word! – the prestige.
Forevermore you can be an ex-mayor.
But don’t forget there’s a big job ahead of you.
These positions are really not about the title holders, they’re about the people.
And the municipal budget is, of course, for increasing the comfort of the people, so one has to tread very carefully.
The first thing every mayor needs to do is lose pride.
(Your friends have said that this was difficult for Athol Trollip – but none of us are always right, so they could be wrong, you know.)
Anyway, the mayor is the chief servant of the people. The people are the bosses. But you already know that. The next thing a mayor can do – with the help of his councillor-majority – is to cut expense accounts of all councillors and put that money into caring for the poor.
Then, of course there’s the council meetings which you must attend and no longer disrupt.
Disruption, as you well know, stifles service delivery.
Then you have to field the complaints and insults of the people who aren’t satisfied that free things cost someone a lot of money.
And the fact that there are not enough people to do everything at once.
Of course mayors et al need to be strong in resisting temptations.
This is very urgently needed in many municipalities and Trollip set a good example, don’t you think?
So all you need to do is build in what’s been shown to be good.
Good luck Mr Bobani. Not much can be accomplished in the swivel chair. Expectant citizen
Port Elizabeth
The “looting of the Bay” part two is well under way.
Mongameli Bobani and the coalition of cronies are now starting the second act of the ANC.
The first movie, called How to Steal a City, played out for nearly two decades where the ANC created a network of corruption, built to steal money from the people in Nelson Mandela Bay.
During its first act the ANC looted billions from the people and was highly disappointed when the DA-led coalition stopped its fun in 2016.
Now the ANC, together with its new partners, the UDM and EFF, and smaller Dlist actors AIC and United Front, is ready for its muchawaited sequel called The Looting of the Bay: Part 2.
The so-called mayor has already started messing with tenders and can be seen travelling in his blue light brigade around town.
The audience in Nelson Mandela Bay is hoping the second act comes to a close quickly and a new feature can start again starring the DA-led coalition called Restoring Dignity to Madiba’s City.
Zurayda Abrahams Jubilee Park, Uitenhage
The ANC and its proxy, Mongameli Bobani, in their first week back in office, are already interfering with tenders and appointments.
This while the Trollip administration terminated more than R650m worth of corrupt tenders from the ANC’s previous tenure.
It seems that the “new” alliance in power has forgotten about delivering to the people, opting to rather deliver to themselves.
So, after barely a week, the “new” local government is up to its old tricks, interfering with jobs and tenders.
There also appears to be incompetency as some do not know procedure! Please, bring back the coalition government before the “new” administration loots the public coffers, which we, the taxpayers, have filled. Cathy Port Elizabeth