DOCUMENTS

Frivolous NMB MONC falls flat – Andrew Whitfield

DA PL says ANC-EFF coalition failed to submit a motion of confidence in accordance with council rules

Frivolous NMB MONC falls flat due to ANC/EFF Doomsday Coalition ignorance and incompetence

4 May 2023

The ANC/EFF doomsday coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay has yet again shown its incompetence and ignorance by not even being able to submit a motion of no confidence in accordance with council rules.

In their desperation to get their hands on the city’s coffers and resume the looting they are well known for, the ANC and EFF cobbled together enough signatures from smaller parties to successfully petition the Speaker to call a special council meeting on Monday, 8 May 2023.

They then set about proclaiming that NMB Mayor, DA Cllr Retief Odendaal, the deputy mayor, Speaker and Chief Whip of Council would be removed at this special council meeting.

What boggles the mind is that no motion was signed off by any councillor or submitted to the Speaker to be placed on the meeting agenda.

Council rules clearly state that a notice of intention to introduce a motion must be submitted in writing, signed and dated by the councillor submitting it, and must contain in full the motion to be submitted. This must be delivered to the Speaker at least ten clear business days before the date of the meeting.

The DA’s legal team has written to the Speaker to demand that he confirms, by no later than today, Thursday, 4 May 2023, that:

The council meeting will not proceed because there is no motion on the agenda; or

The council meeting will proceed, but the motions will not be debated because they have not been submitted in terms of council rules.

If the Speaker fails to comply, the DA will approach the High Court for the necessary relief.

This frivolous attempt at a motion of no confidence is nothing more than a desperate grasping at straws to disrupt the progress made by Mayor Odendaal and the multi-party coalition.

Now is the time for all parties to come together and remove the scourge of the ANC and EFF once and for all.

The ANC and EFF do not care about the people of Nelson Mandela Bay. They only care about lining their pockets. Corrupt thieves who do not even have the skills to submit a motion to council can never again be allowed to govern this city

The DA will not allow the corrupt ANC/EFF coalition to bring this city to its knees. We will fight for the people of Nelson Mandela Bay. We will fight to ensure that the work we have started continues and that residents get the services they are entitled to.

Issued by Andrew Whitfield, DA EC Provincial Leader, 4 May 2023