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Reject the Bank.
Lulama Zenzile, Netwerk24
- The High Court has upheld its decision that the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro elect a new mayor within seven days.
- This could mean major changes in the unstable meter.
- The DA and ANC will each present one candidate.
After nearly a year without a mayor, the Nelson Mandela Bay Township was able to see a new election for a new mayor after the Eastern Cape Superior Court in Makhanda confirmed its order that the council chairman set up a council meeting within seven days.
The council president, Buyelwa Mafaya, appealed an initial ruling, which forced her to hold a special meeting to elect a new mayor.
This after the Prosecutor’s Office presented court documents on July 31 and its leader Nqaba Bhanga wrote to Mafaya demanding an urgent council meeting to elect a new mayor.
The district attorney was anticipating a move by the Eastern Cape Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Xolile Nqatha (Cogta) to put the metro under management.
In her ruling, Superior Court Judge Irma Schoeman said she believed there was no reasonable prospect that another court would reach a different conclusion.
Nelson Mandela Bay Township has been without a mayor since Mongameli Bobani was removed by a vote of no confidence on December 5, 2019.
Bobani’s impeachment led to his deputy, Tshonono Buyeye, being appointed interim mayor.
New developments could change the rules of the game on the subway. The DA, which lost the subway to a coalition led by the ANC, is eager to win back the city.
READ | Superior Court orders President of Nelson Mandela Bay to convene a meeting to elect the new mayor
Last week, the Patriotic Alliance’s bitter relationship with the ANC in Johannesburg opened the doors for new coalition talks with the DA. The Palestinian Authority was removed from the fragile ANC-led council in Johannesburg.
The ANC also missed an opportunity to solidify its relationship with the EFF during the Tshwane mayoral elections earlier this month.
The ANC committee disobeyed an order from the ANC general treasurer, Paul Mashatile, and the Gauteng executive, to vote for an EFF mayor.
The ANC hoped that the EFF would return the favor in Nelson Mandela Bay Township and in the city of Johannesburg, should the need arise.
Reacting to the court ruling, Prosecutor’s Office mayoral candidate Bhanga said the Prosecutor’s Office was vindicated by the ruling, which affirmed the party’s position that an executive mayor must be elected by law.
“Without an executive mayor, the National Treasury has withheld R1.6 billion of funds for the metro and the provision of services has reached an all-time low. It was important because the speaker was not fulfilling her legal duties to call a meeting to elect to a mayor when there is a vacancy in office and to prevent the illegal hold on power from continuing, “he said.
In response to possible coalition agreements with smaller parties, Bhanga said: “The district attorney has always said that he will do everything in his power to save this subway and will consider talking to anyone who has the same opinion.”
READ | Nelson Mandela Bay Announces New Interim City Manager Following Mapu Arrest
Luyolo Nqakula, ANC regional coordinator in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, said the ANC would present its own candidate for the long-awaited election.
The ANC had previously chosen to support a candidate from its coalition partners in the so-called “black caucus.”
“We have confidence in the courts of justice. We respect the conclusion that the court has reached and it must be fulfilled,” he said.
Many actors on the subway have raised concerns about the instability due to the vacant mayor position.
In a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, dated June 16, the Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Business said that without a mayor presenting its budget, it feared the subway would lose its fair share, which would have devastating effect.
In June, News24 reported that Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma ordered Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha to investigate the vacancy.
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