Councillors hurl insults at each other

Row in Bay council meeting nearly ends in fist-fight

TENSIONS ran high at a public accounts committee meeting in Nelson Mandela Bay yesterday, with ANC and UDM councillors hurling insults at each other and almost coming to blows.

A petty disagreement about where councillors who are not part of the committee should sit in the council chamber quickly turned into a heated exchange which ended in a scream- ing match in the City Hall corridors.

The argument was sparked by a question from ANC councillor Ncediso Captain about which political parties represented at the meeting had voting power, and whether those who did not should be seated elsewhere in the chamber as observers.

This irked UDM councillor Mongameli Bobani, whose party does not have voting power in the municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) but can participate in discussions.

Bobani has for years been allowed to sit among the MPAC members.

Angry at the insinuation that he should move, Bobani lashed out at Captain, saying: “This is not your ANC house. We’re not scared of you.

“I’m not going anywhere. Go and call your security.”

The councillors then started shouting at each other, with Bobani allegedly calling ANC councillor Makhi Feni a kwedini (small boy).

ANC councillor Buyelwa Mafaya said: “As mature as we are, we cannot use vulgar language. If you are not on the committee, you are supposed to sit as an observer. You need to go for anger management.”

Bobani retorted: “You need to go to political management.”

MPAC chairman COPE councillor Khwezi Ntshanyana faced harsh criticism from the ANC for allowing Bobani’s behaviour and the shouting in the council chamber.

After a few minutes of back- and-forth shouting, the ANC asked for a five-minute caucus.

During this time Bobani and Feni stood toe to toe, screaming at each other over the kwedini comment.

The row ended when the councillors re-entered the chamber.

Ntshanyana asked Bobani to leave the meeting but he refused, saying he was there to represent UDM voters.

“This is not an ANC caucus. I’m not moving an inch. I’m going to sit anywhere,” he said.

He later apologised, but the ANC felt his apology was insincere.

The meeting eventually resumed.