By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Caption: The DA’s Retief Odendaal has been elected as the new Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay.
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Retief Odendaal has been elected mayor in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
Odendaal’s election followed the removal of ANC-led coalition government mayor Eugene Johnson through a motion of no confidence.
Her deputy Buyelwa Mafaya and chief whip Wandile Jikeka were also removed from their positions.
The chaotic meeting which was called at 11:00 on Wednesday, confirmed Odendaal at 03:00 on Thursday morning, with the new mayor beating Jikeka by a smaller margin.
Abantu Integrity Movement leader Mkhuseli “Khusta” Jack is the new deputy mayor, while Freedom Front Plus councillor Bill Harrington was elected chief whip.
The motion to remove the ANC coalition government was tabled by the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and was seconded by the FF+.
Parties that agreed to form the new coalition government are the ACDP, African Independent Congress, Abantu Integrity Movement, DA, FF+, PAC, and the UDM.
Northern Alliance councillor Gary van Niekerk remains the speaker of the council, Harrington confirmed.
He said the new coalition government’s main priority would be to restore what had been broken by the ousted government.
In a statement, the DA described the removal of the ANC-led coalition as the beginning of a process to get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.
Odendaal was first elected as a councillor in 2009 and served as the leader of the DA caucus between 2014 and 2016.
Between 2016 and 2018, he served as the MMC for budget and treasury.
Meanwhile the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) in the Eastern Cape, Zolile Williams, has noted “the worrisome” political changes in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM) Council, saying these continue to destabilise the institution.
In a statement on Thursday, the MEC said it was in his interest to see stability restored in the Metro.
The MEC in the statement said: “The abrupt political changes do not translate into quick service delivery to the residents of Gqeberha. Although this is a democratic process for political parties to change allegiances, this should not subordinate the interests of the people of Gqeberha at the altar of subjective political interests.”
Williams said he believes that the amendment of Section 12 of the Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 in respect of the Metro was the “only solution that may bring about stability to the municipality”.
“The amendment is not aimed at advantaging any political party but is an attempt to have a functional Municipal Council but above all, to help the leadership to focus on taking services to the residents of Gqeberha.
“My main concern is more about the capacity of the municipality to deliver services to the people, for now, it is difficult to be certain whether services are being delivered seamlessly due to political parties looking at their own interests than to take services to the people of Gqeberha, “said Williams.