• We will survive, mayor tells rally
The DA and its coalition partners will survive the flurry of motions to dismantle the entire political leadership structure in Nelson Mandela Bay at today’s all-important council meeting.
This was the message from speakers at the DA’s #SaveNMB rally in front of the Port Elizabeth City Hall yesterday.
Scores of DA supporters attended the #SaveNMB rally in support of Bay mayor Athol Trollip.
Trollip is facing a motion of no confidence to be tabled by the EFF today.
He said the motion to remove him was proof that EFF leader Julius Malema was a man who changed his mind often.
“The reasons Malema put for removing me were undemocratic,” Trollip said.
“Like a spoilt child when he didn’t get his way in parliament with his mad motion that would cripple the economy, Malema said he would remove me based on my skin colour.
“What he must know is that this dilutes the minds of his supporters.
“Our newest coalition partner, the PA, fortunately we have been in coalition with them before.”
Trollip said at the time he did not accede to the PA’s demands as the position was being contested in a court case.
“All Julius Malema has is race; we will never say to them ‘go ahead with your racism’.
“We will not behave in a bad way when things don’t go our way [today],” Trollip said.
He thanked residents who had been praying at Vuyisile Mini Square every night since last week.
DA Eastern Cape leader and Bay councillor Nqaba Bhanga said they would teach Malema a lesson today.
“[It] is going to be an important day because we are going to teach Julius Malema a lesson that says ‘not in the name of Nelson Mandela’,” Bhanga said. “We must tell Malema that we will not have people divide us on the basis of our skin.
“Julius Malema must not think he runs South Africa because he runs the ANC, he runs the EFF; he doesn’t run the DA, COPE, ACDP and PA.
“Who is this Julius Malema? This is the same Julius Malema who said he would kill for a man who sold our country to the Guptas.”
DA provincial spokesman Mlindi Nhanha said the DA-led coalition walked with God and no one would dare touch them.
“When you don’t have manners, it is a reflection of how you are raised,” Nhanha said.
“Athol Trollip invited Julius Malema to come and hear for himself from [residents] why you don’t want the ANC in power.”
The large group of supporters wearing DA T-shirts with posters stating “Hands off Athol Trollip”, “Support Trollip” and the “A team” sang songs in support of Trollip.
Supporters of coalition partner the ACDP were also in the crowd.
Newly elected Eastern Cape DA Women’s Network chairwoman, councillor Georgina Faldtman, said residents had voted the ANC out of office because they were fed up.
“Nobody said it’s going to be easy. We did not promise to fix problems overnight, but we had something on our hands.”
ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom said the coalition had been so far saved by a third party, which was God.
“We came together today because we want to save Nelson Mandela Bay from slipping into the hands of the ANC,” he said.