Nqaba Bhanga sworn in as Bay councillor
DA Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga was sworn in as the newest member of the Nelson Mandela Bay council yesterday morning.
It comes after he resigned from the legislature last week to take up the role of DA mayoral candidate at Thursday’s council meeting as the party hopes to put a new coalition government together.
Bhanga replaces Kobus Botha who will be returning to the provincial legislature.
With the DA’s 57 seats, and its long-established partnership with ACDP and COPE bringing a combined two seats, a deal with the United Front and UDM would push their numbers up to 62 in the council of 120 seats.
Bhanga is no stranger to the council and when speaking to The Herald he said he was eager to serve the residents of the city.
In 2016, he was elected a councillor and was appointed the mayoral committee member for Human Settlements of the municipality under mayor
Athol Trollip, whom he succeeded as party provincial leader in 2017.
Bhanga was the DA’s Eastern Cape Premier candidate in the 2019 general elections.
“I am eager to serve and will focus on changing the situation in the administration and we believe as the DA that we do have a plan to turn things around,” Bhanga said.
The DA, COPE, ACDP, UDM and United Front last month petitioned Mafaya to call a special council meeting to remove acting mayor Thsonono Buyeye and Mafaya while also electing a new mayor, deputy mayor, chief whip and speaker.
The petition was signed by 62 councillors out of a council of 120 — including the UDM’s Mongameli Bobani.
The special council is scheduled for Thursday and if successful, the city could have a new government led by those parties. But Bhanga said the special meeting was not the decider.
“We have to do this on Thursday but it is not the end of the road. If we are not successful we will explore an alternative,” Bhanga said.