Nelson Mandela Bay is on its own - Trollip
3 August 2017
Johannesburg - Nelson Mandela Bay is on its own, its mayor Athol Trollip told journalists on Thursday in Soweto.
Trollip said that the metro shared both a good and rotten relationship with provincial government.
As the metro gears up for the international IronMan championships in 2018, Trollip said he has not received any funding from Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle.
Trollip said to prepare for the championships, the city would need to upgrade its road tracks.
"IronMan was a project started by our predecessors and Masualle gave a commitment to give funding, but stopped communication. That makes it difficult. We are on our own in Nelson Mandela Bay," he said.
Trollip who has been at loggerheads with his deputy, the United Democratic Movement's Mongameli Bobani, said that he did not understand why UDM leader Bantu Holomisa was protecting him.
Vote of no confidence
He said Holomisa committed to resolving the issues surrounding the two men, but failed to show up to the metro for meetings.
"He made a commitment to come and sort it out, he hasn't."
A vote of no confidence will be tabled on Thursday against Bobani, he said. Trollip is counting on the motion to oust his rival, Bobani.
"There is no guarantee with a vote of no confidence. However, it's a statement: It's a statement that what you are doing is not acceptable; it's holding us back."
Trollip said he believed the city would be run better without Bobani whom he accused of creating instability.
Trollip and three other DA mayors Herman Mashaba, Solly Masimanga and Patricia de Lille held a press briefing in Soweto on the current development on each of the metros since the local government elections in 2016.
All four mayors boasted about the improvements made since the party took over the three major metros.
The party won with coalition agreement against the African National Congress in NMB, Johannesburg and Tshwane. It retained the City of Cape Town.
