NATIONAL NEWS - On Monday evening, the opposition was reportedly, according to The Herald, able to form a quorum of 61 to have an ANC candidate elected the new speaker and the UDM’s Mongameli Bobani the mayor after the removal of the DA’s Jonathan Lawack as speaker on Monday morning.
However, the DA maintains that this move was unlawful as Nelson Mandela Bay city manager Johann Mettler adjourned the council meeting because the council was not quorate, in his view, and could not elect a new speaker.
The new speaker was, however, later nevertheless elected as ANC councillor Buyelwa Mafaya, who was nominated unopposed after DA, Patriotic Alliance, African Christian Democratic Party and Cope councillors left the chamber.
“The DA council left on the basis of the advice I received that there was no longer a quorum present and that the meeting couldn’t continue, and a new date was set by myself [as acting speaker].”
The DA will be challenging everything that happened after he adjourned the meeting, he said. It’s understood the party is already preparing a court interdict against the new government in the city.
In the initial absence of a speaker, the meeting was presided over by the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs’ representative, Jenny Roestorf.
After taking her seat as speaker, Mafaya immediately turned to electing a new mayor for the city. Athol Trollip was removed as the mayor in absentia, with the United Democratic Movement’s Mongameli Bobani being nominated unopposed by the ANC’s Mvuzo Mbelekane.
He accepted and was duly named as the mayor.
The Citizen understands that the former opposition was only able to reach a quorum by including the vote of DA councillor Victor Manyati, whose membership of the DA and his council seat are still in dispute.
Bicks Ndoni was elected chief whip, while the mayoral committee was made up of the following councillors:
- Toads and transport: Rose Frollick.
- Safety and security: Litho Suka.
- Cooperate services: Makhi Feni.
- Sports, recreation, arts and culture: Phakama Mfana.
- Public health: Yoliswa Pali.
- Constituency: Nomhle Ranyele.
- Budget and treasury: Mkhuseli Mtsila.
- Economic development, tourism and agriculture: Queenie Pink.
- Human settlements: Andile Mfunda.
- Infrastructure and engineering: Andile Lungisa.
The DA’s coalition government with Cope, the ACDP and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) was on the back foot on Monday morning after Manyati said he would side with the opposition to unseat the speaker of Nelson Mandela Bay and the mayor.
The DA fought back by quickly revoking Manyati’s DA membership and declaring his seat vacant in council.
Manyati was reportedly charged earlier this year for insurance fraud, and his days in the DA were understood to have been numbered anyway.
DA councillors sang a struggle song in which they referred to Manyati as a “dog”.
