Trollip ousted as mayor, Bobani elected unopposed

With the help of one rogue Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor yesterday evening, the former opposition in council, the ANC, was finally able to oust the Nelson Mandela Bay metro executive mayor Athol Trollip.

Yesterday evening, the opposition was able to form a quorum of 61 to have an ANC candidate elected the new speaker after the removal of Jonathan Lawack of the DA yesterday morning.

The new speaker is now ANC councillor Buyelwa Mafaya, who was nominated unopposed after a walkout earlier in the day by the DA, Patriotic Alliance (PA), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and Cope councillors.

In the absence of a speaker, the meeting was presided over by the co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Jenny Roestorf.

After taking her seat as speaker, Mafaya immediately turned to electing a new mayor for the city.

Trollip was removed in absentia, with the United Democratic Movement’s Mongameli Bobani being nominated unopposed by the ANC’s Mvuzo Mbelekane. Bobani accepted his election and was duly named as the mayor.

The Citizen understands that the DA is preparing an interdict against the new government, as the former opposition was only able to reach a quorum by including the vote of DA councillor Victor Manyati, whose party mem- bership and council seat are in dispute.

The DA’s coalition government with Cope, the ACDP and PA was on the back foot yesterday morning after one of their councillors said he would side with the opposition to unseat Trollip as mayor.

The DA fought back by quickly revoking Manyati’s DA membership and declaring his seat vacant in council.

Manyati was reportedly charged earlier this year for insurance fraud, and his days in the DA were understood to have been numbered anyway.

DA councillors sang a struggle song in which they referred to Manyati as a “dog”.

Manyati had told the media he was not happy with the DA and was planning to quit the party. He said: “I need change. I am leaving the DA.”

In response to this betrayal, DA provincial leader Nqaba Bhanga said Manyati was no longer a member of the party as his membership had been terminated.