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Nqaba Bhanga, was elected the new mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay on Friday.
(Lulama Zenzile, Netwerk24)
- Nqaba Bhanga was elected the eighth mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay subway after a chaotic council meeting on Friday night.
- During the long council meeting, three men stormed the chamber and forcibly removed the council president, Bulelwa Mafaya.
- Bhanga alleged during a television interview that the men were bodyguards of Mafaya and former councilor Andile Lungisa.
- He accused the two ANC politicians of being behind a staging of an attempted kidnapping to disrupt the meeting called to elect a new mayor.
The newly elected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Nqaba Bhanga, said his appointment marked the beginning of a new chapter in which politics would be put aside, with the aim of fixing Nelson Mandela Bay.
He spoke Saturday at his first press conference as mayor of the warring municipality, a day after he was elected to office during a chaotic council meeting on Friday.
During the long council meeting, three men stormed the chambers and forcibly removed the council president, Bulelwa Mafaya.
Marlon Daniels of the Patriotic Alliance was nominated by the parties to fill the post of Mafaya.
Bhanga was chosen at the meeting, chaired by Daniels, according to HeraldLive.
UPDATE | District Attorney Nqaba Bhanga is the new Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay
In an interview on eNCA, Bhanga accused former councilor Andile Lungisa and Mafaya of orchestrating the chaos that ensued at the council meeting, saying it was the bodyguards of the ANC couple who arranged for Mafaya’s expulsion from the council chamber.
Speaking to News24, Lungisa denied the allegations and accused Bhanga of using his name to gain “relevance.”
Lungisa said that the bodyguards were participating in a protest due to a long-standing wage dispute with the municipality.
I am not a holy spirit, I cannot be in many places at once. I did not enter the council chambers. He was standing under a tree. I will not allow the black puppets of the old regime to freely use my name. Even Bhanga found me under that tree and greeted me and we chatted. Rano Kayser also met me there and we talked. Later, when problems arose in the council, he hinted at things about me. He is a charlatan. Outside of that council chamber there were three protests by plumbers, security personnel and artists.
Lungisa was released on probation Tuesday after serving two months of a two-year prison sentence behind bars.
He was convicted and sentenced in 2018 for breaking a glass jug on Rano Kayser’s head during a council meeting in 2016.
Bhanga said he knew that releasing Lungisa on parole would spell trouble for the city and accused Lungisa of violating his parole conditions.
When asked about Bhanga’s breach of parole claims, Correctional Services spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo told News24: “The conditions of parole are not made public as they are between the person on parole and the Department of Correctional Services. They are specifically there for monitoring purposes and to help a parolee adjust and begin to live a normal life. Some of the characteristics are the same for all parolees .
“This will speak to those on parole sharing their schedule with their probation officers. They are also expected to find them home between certain hours. If there is deviant conduct, Correctional Services is required to initiate an investigation,” he said Nxumalo.
Lungisa said:
I know my name is in fashion, he [Bhanga] must go and hang himself; he’s a little boy who wants to be relevant using my name.
News24 asked Nelson Mandela Bay Metro spokeswoman Mamela Ndamase about Lungisa’s claims that the disruption in the council was due to the bodyguards’ protest.
Ndamase said: “The municipality is not aware of a protest that took place yesterday outside any of the places.”
During the mayoral press conference, Bhanga said that he would eradicate corruption in the municipality and restore law and order.
‘A coalition of good governance’
“A coalition of good governance is back in the City Council and we ask citizens, businesses, civic and religious organizations, as well as all municipal staff, officials and councilors to support this coalition. We cannot do this for our account. We need your help. “
In addition to a comprehensive recovery program that was expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks, Bhanga said it would address Covid-19.
The rampant spread of Covid-19 in Nelson Mandela Bay must be addressed head-on. We will convene a briefing with the head of our city’s Disaster Management office, and all efforts should be made to mitigate the spread of the virus. This includes intensifying public awareness campaigns immediately.
On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the Nelson Mandela Bay subway an access point and reinstated strict restrictions on the sale of alcohol, religious gatherings and funerals, due to the large number of Covid-19 cases in the subway.
Bhanga also promised to request the City’s Office of Treasury and Budget to report to the council on the state of the metro’s finances and the impact of Covid-19 on it.
Other areas he promised to address were drought, lawn mowing, pothole repair, water leak repair and broken streetlights.
“Our administration has been beaten and beaten by compromised officials. We must expedite the appointments of uncommitted CEOs and, when necessary, fill vacancies where they exist.”
Bhanga also promised to reduce the accumulation of 80,000 homes in the city.
He said:
I extend the hand of friendship and association to all residents, businesses, taxpayers, civic and religious organizations, and again I ask all of you to help us on the journey that lies ahead. We cannot repair the damage alone, we need your support.
Promising to eradicate corruption and intimidation, Bhanga claimed that 21 people were killed due to wrong decisions made by the council. He did not elaborate on the claim.
