MEC to discuss Bay crisis with leaders

Co-operative governance MEC Fikile Xasa will meet Nelson Mandela Bay’s political leadership on Thursday to discuss the instability in the city’s administration.

The meeting comes after the DA wrote to co-operative governance minister Zweli Mkhize, asking him to send an administrator to run the municipality.

In the letter to Mkhize on Tuesday, DA Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga wrote that the party believed that invoking Section 154 of the Constitution – to allow national government support – would bring much-needed stability.

Bhanga brought to the minister’s attention a list of concerns, including the appointment of acting city manager Peter Neilson earlier this week.

“We believe Mr Neilson [lacks] the minimum competency levels,” Bhanga wrote.

“The lack of minimum competency is a great cause of concern as [it] will expose the institution to further adverse risk.

“We [believe] the appointment of Mr Neilson, if subjected to legal scrutiny, will reveal gross disregard of section 54 of the Municipal Systems Act,” he wrote.

Bhanga noted the brief given to Neilson by mayor Mongameli Bobani – to find a way to conclude longstanding suspensions in the city.

Other concerns raised in the letter include:

● That critical senior manager positions are vacant;

● Bobani is implicated in an investigation by the Hawks into the IPTS;

● Plans by the municipality to award tenders amounting to R18m to 600 SMMEs without following the correct supply chain and tender process; and

● Apparent interference by Bobani when he allegedly contacted an Absa bank official requesting that the bank not issue a bond of security that had been requested by suspended city manager Johann Mettler.

The party said on Monday it would table motions of no confidence in Bobani, speaker Buyelwa Mafaya and chief whip Bicks Ndoni.

Xasa said the meeting with the Bay political leadership would shed some light on the situation in the city.

“[Mkhize] forwarded the letter to me for information and we are working on it,” he said. “He will respond once the province has engaged with the leadership in the metro.

“We have noted the issues raised. We will engage the city so we can advise the minister.

“We have a duty to support the municipality.

“We can’t just respond to Bhanga, we have to respond to the [municipality’s] problem.

“We expect [the leadership] to give us a clear picture [of] what is happening here.”

Xasa said he had initially planned to meet Mkhize, but the minister was unavailable.