Herron stands by his NCOP statement

MAYCO member for transport Brett Herron is standing firm after raising the ire of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), which has called on mayor Patricia de Lille to account for allegations the councillor made last week.

An NCOP delegation, which included Thabiso Wana from the Eastern Cape, Thandi Mpambo-Sibhukwana from the Western Cape, and Mergan Chetty and Omie Singh from KwaZulu-Natal, accompanied Herron on Thursday on an oversight trip for a MyCiTi bus project that will cut through Wynberg and Plumstead residential areas.

The bus route will see 26 families evicted from the community, where four cityowned properties were recently demolished to make way for the new road.

After arriving in Wynberg from Khayelitsha, Herron claimed the city was “ambushed” in South Road, where residents and the media had gathered in wait for the delegation’s arrival.

The Cape Times followed Herron and, on arrival, he appeared visibly distressed.

In a statement, Herron said he was not aware a public meeting would take place and that the media would be present, adding that the NCOP members’ conduct was “shocking” and that it was clear the ANC wanted to sabotage the project.

The NCOP’s chairwoman, Thandi Modise, has since taken Herron to task for his statements and sought an explanation from De Lille.

Herron said: “I stand by my observation. At no stage did the NCOP indicate they intended calling a public meeting.”

ANC Wynberg task team activist Colin Arendse said Herron’s concerns were delusional as his colleague, DA MP Thandi MpamboSibhukwana, was part of the NCOP delegation.