Metro budget gets the nod

Councillor backs DA partners, following through on threat to ANC over Matatiele

THE African Independent Congress followed through on its threat to the ANC and sided with the DA and its coalition partners to help pass the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s budget.

The Bay’s R12-billion 2018-19 budget was passed on the fourth attempt at yesterday’s council meeting – comfortably ahead of the June 30 deadline – in the absence of opposition parties the ANC, EFF and UDM.

Only the AIC and United Front from the opposition attended the sitting, giving the DA and coalition partners COPE, the ACDP and Patriotic Alliance the numbers needed to reach a quorum.

The coalition has a combined 60 seats while 61 votes are needed out of the council of 120 seats to pass a budget.

AIC councillor Thsonono Buyeye, acting on the instructions of his national bosses, supported the budget.

On Tuesday, AIC president Mandla Galo gave the ANC until 8am yesterday to commit in writing to support the party’s proposal to reincorporate Matatiele under the KwaZulu-Natal administration.

He did not receive any letter from the party yesterday.

Galo has now threatened to pull out of the coalition with the ANC in Ekurhuleni to “punish the ANC”.

The ANC in Ekurhuleni, with its 109 seats, is in coalition with the PA (one seat), AIC (four seats) and PAC (one seat).

If the AIC pulls out of the coalition in that metro, it would leave the remaining coalition members without a majority.

“We have requested an urgent meeting with the national leadership of the ANC so we can review this coalition,” Galo said.

“[ANC secretary-general] Ace Magashule’s office has responded and confirmed that they want the meeting to be in Johannesburg,” he said.

Galo said a date for the meeting had yet to be set.

Before the start of yesterday’s Bay council meeting, it was still not clear if the budget would be passed as Buyeye arrived almost an hour late.

ANC and EFF councillors milled around the council precinct in Military Road, but did not enter the chamber.

United Front councillor Mkuseli Mtsila attended the meeting but did not support the budget.

Buyeye said the AIC could not back down on the Matatiele matter.

“Even though I live in Nelson Mandela Bay and this does not really affect me, the Matatiele issue is the reason for our existence – without it there would be no AIC,” Buyeye said.

“This is very high on the agenda of the AIC.”

Approving the budget means that the municipality can start preparing to spend the money from July 1.

Tariff hikes of 5% for property rates, 8.5% for water and sanitation, 7.5% for refuse and 5.48% for electricity, subject to approval by the National Energy Regulator of SA, will come into effect from next month.

Other critical items approved were the revision of tariffs for sports and recreation facilities, traffic and licensing, fire and emergency services, town planning matters, and building plans and advertising signs.

Mayor Athol Trollip said he was delighted that the budget had finally been passed.

“We have put the people of the city first‚ with the cooperation of councillors Buyeye and Mtsila – who was at his post on time to make the meeting quorate‚ even though he opposed the budget for his reasons given.

“That is fine – we don’t always have to agree with each other in politics.

“But you need to be at work‚ if you are serious about service delivery‚” Trollip said.

“We are elated that we can get on with the business of putting the people first.

“I want to thank the AIC for sticking to the commitment that they made yesterday.”

We are elated that we can get on with the business of putting the people first