As the DA and its partners celebrate ousting the ANC-led coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay, concerns have been raised about the Eastern Cape government’s pulling the rug from under their feet and implementing section 12 of the Municipal Structures Act.
Former co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC in the province Xolile Nqatha introduced a plan to scrap the mayoral executive system and introduce a collective executive with a ward participatory system, which would take powers away from a mayor and allow a new committee to run proceedings.
The switch to a collective executive system would force the ANC and DA, the two majority parties in the council with 48 seats each, to work together to control the R17.1bn budget municipality.
On Wednesday, Bay mayor Eugene Johnson was removed through a no-confidence motion tabled by the ACDP and seconded by the FF+.
The DA’s Retief Odendaal was elected mayor, beating the ANC’s Wandisile Jikeka, who had replaced Johnson as the ANC's mayoral candidate. Jikeka was also removed as chief whip of council during yesterday’s meeting, which ran until the early hours of the morning.
Abantu Integrity Movement (AIM) leader Mkhuseli Jack was elected deputy mayor and the FF+’s Bill Harington replaced Jikeka as council whip.
Council speaker and Northern Alliance (NA) member Gary van Niekerk remains in his position after crossing floors to support the DA-led multiparty coalition government. Van Niekerk said it didn’t take much for the DA to convince them to cross the floor.
“It didn’t take much convincing because of what the ANC was doing to us. The ANC tried to suffocate us, tried to kill our party; tried to tarnish us. The coalition is done and the change of government is done. All I’m into is to go out there and rebuild the brand.
“Our concern now is 2024 and rebuilding the city but we’re also concerned now that the ANC has been removed, I think co-operative governance and traditional affairs in the province will definitely go ahead with section 12. But we're resolute in fighting section 12 and every member of the coalition is in solidarity because we feel we have a lot to contribute to the city and we'll continue fighting the section 12 notice,” Van Niekerk said.
The new multiparty coalition is made up of the DA (48), NA (3), FF+ (2), ACDP (2), Defenders of the People (2), AIC (1), AIM (1), PAC (1), UDM (1) and GOOD (1), which have a combined 62 seats out of the 120-seat council.
The rest of the seats are taken up by the ANC, EFF and Patriotic Alliance.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the department wrote to Nelson Mandela Bay city manager Noxolo Nqwazi, extending the public participation for the section 12 notice by a further 14 days with a cut-off date of October 7.
In a letter, department head Andile Fani wrote the extension would be gazetted on Monday September 26.
Another coalition member, who didn’t want to be named, alleged the extension came about after discussions with the ANC in the metro with the promise to support their candidate.
“Now that their people have been voted off, we believe the province will go ahead and implement their plans to scrap the current system we have,” the insider said.
On Thursday, the new government was locked in a meeting to discuss which party would get what position.
The DA, ACDP, AIC, AIM, FF+ and the PAC had previously signed a coalition agreement, which included positions parties would get. With the inclusion of GOOD, NA and DOP, plans have to be revised.
It is believed the mayoral committee will comprise the following:
- PAC — sport, recreation, arts and culture;
- AIC — public health;
- UDM — moves from electricity and energy to economic development, tourism and agriculture;
- ACDP — electricity and energy;
- DOP — moves from budget and treasury to human settlements;
- GOOD — safety and security; and
- DA — budget and treasury, corporate services, infrastructure and engineering including roads and transport.
The new mayoral committee will be elected during a special council sitting early next week.
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