Know Bobani’s behaviour of old
● Change of coalition government in the Bay
A leopard does not change its spots!
Mongameli Bobani’s inaugural “moved on” speech, as reported by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality on September 9, included the following statements, “We owe the residents of this city honesty, integrity and transparency” and “I commit the coalition government under my leadership to fight corruption at all levels”.
This comes from a potential mayor leading a team which formed the majority of the metro council that wrecked our city in the first place.
What is laughable, if it were not so serious, is Bobani’s “moved on” speech also resolving to “critically look at the R8.18bn unauthorised expenditure”.
Perhaps one can facetiously say he and his council are best suited to do so as the unaccounted-for billions occurred during their watch.
One can only postulate how much of it was due to corruption.
The bus saga is an appalling example of corruption and tender malfeasance.
The Citizen reported on August 31 the DA as saying, “Already we have seen the use of blue lights by Cllr Bobani, the excessive procurement of catering, the hosting of glamorous and glitzy parties and the convening of meetings with disgraced and dismissed former employees, such as Mod Ndoyana”.
So, one may well ask, what’s new?
The old leopard is back, spots and all, and should the new coalition win the court action our new compromised regime will include:
● Convicted members who are facing jail: Bongo Nombiba, convicted of stealing some R20,000, and Andile Lungisa, who is out on bail.
He was found guilty of aswith sault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, by smashing a water jug on a fellow councillor’s head.
So much for the integrity and standard of proprietary of this convicted felon’s colleagues who welcomed him back to “roaring applause” (“Lungisa back in chamber”, May 31);
● A UDM mayor whose party won only two seats in council, a mayor whose past infantile behaviour in council, shouting, violently gesticulating and posturing, makes one cringe embarrassment.
He, as reported, “had written to his party and issued an apology for his behaviour towards COPE MP Deidre Carter but refused to apologise for taunting [Athol] Trollip” (“Bobani on best behaviour after warning from UDM”, April 11).
Is he the example we wish to set for our young folk, is he what we want as the city’s custodian of values, a man of dignity?
What a parody of our city icon, Nelson Mandela;
● Renegades: three of the DA’s councillors, Mbulelo Manyati, Trevor Louw and Neville Higgins, turned against the party, betraying the trust their constituents and their fellow colleagues had in them;
● Presumably the majority of the remaining councillors formed part of the old ANC regime.
They must have been aware of the corrupt practices and, by their silence, were complicit in the nefarious transgressions taking place, seemingly, in every facet of governance. Long-time ANC activist and civil servant Crispian Olver was tasked by minister Pravin Gordhan to clean out the corrupt politicians and criminal syndicates that had captured Port Elizabeth’s administrative machinery in 2016.
If only a fraction of the revelations in Olver’s book, How to Steal a City, is true, the city is in for another catastrophic time as many of the same perpetrators could well assume control once more.
(Olver appeared on Tim Modise’s television show recently when his shocking revelations were aired).
That there has been a deafening silence would indicate that Olver’s scandalous revelations must be true.
Anti-corruption, the political flavour of the day, together with blatant racism, are populist vote winners.
However, the present turn of events could, in the long run, favour the DA in a decisive change of government come 2019, giving the infighting and squabbling ANC and allies, enough rope to hang themselves!
The electorate is sick and tired of broken promises and corruption, is becoming more alive to the realities and is no longer submissive to flatulent rhetoric.