NMB Motion of no Confidence: Victory for the people

10 April 2018

The African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) today exposed themselves to be nothing more than disruptive forces in the council of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality.

These parties disrupted a Special Council Meeting convened to hear several Motions of no Confidence, which included motions against Mayor Athol Trollip, Speaker Jonathan Lawack and Chief Whip Werner Senekal.

The Speaker permanently adjourned the meeting after these disruptions and therefore the ANC and EFF will have to get the support of 61 out of 120 councillors to place these motions back on the agenda. This will not happen, as the DA and its coalition partners take up 60 seats in the council.

The ANC and EFF collapsed today’s meeting because they knew they did not have enough votes and this highlights the fact that these opposition parties have nothing else to do but break down the Council and good governance in the Metro.

Under the leadership of Executive Mayor Athol Trollip and his team, the Nelson Mandela Bay is making progress towards a better future for all its residents through job creation, delivery of better services and a clamp down on corruption.

To date, Mayor Trollip has:

1.  Worked hard to make sure 12 000 residents in NMB received running water and flush toilets in their own homes for the first;

2.  Created 5500 job opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme;

3.  The Mayor’s Office has embarked on an unemployed graduate initiative. The initiative focusses on identifying opportunities for these graduates and facilitating them in being successfully employed;

4.  Clamped down on corruption, ensuring that those implicated in corrupt activities face the full might of law; and

5.  Launched the City's first ever Metro police service with over 114 officers and two metro police stations to help fight crime and build a safe city.

We remain committed to working with all our coalition partners to ensure that we do not fail those who have entrusted us with a mandate to lead them to a corruption-free and working city.

We cannot, and will not be indecisive in dealing with those who put their own interest above those of the residents of NMB

We will continue working and making progress in NMB.

Issued by Nqaba Bhanga, DA Eastern Cape Provincial Leader, 10 April 2018