DA urges Mr Holomisa to put the people of NMB first

The DA notes with regret the so-called ultimatum from Mr Bantu Holomisa to pull the United Democratic Movement (UDM) out of the coalition government unless Mr Mongamelli Bobani is reinstated as the Deputy Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB)Municipality.

The decision to move a motion of no confidence against the former deputy mayor of NMB, Mr Bobani, was not an easy one. Over the last 9 months, we have implored Mr Holomisa to redeploy Mr Bobani to another position. We have met with the UDM and other coalition partners endlessly about this matter – to no avail.

The reality is that the NMB coalition government has achieved much since being elected, in no small part due to our other coalition partners who have remained committed to our coalition agreement to zero tolerance for corruption.

However, former deputy mayor Bobani has been a destructive member of this particular coalition, and his actions have served to undermine service delivery, most especially to the poorest and most vulnerable communities.

He has voted with the ANC in the Council on a number of occasions, conduct which is simply unacceptable and contrary to our coalition agreement.

In addition to this, Mr Bobani still needs to answer serious allegations of irregular expenditure, fraud and corruption that allegedly took place in the directorate for which he was previously responsible - conduct which is inconsistent with our collective commitment to stopping corruption, improving service delivery and creating jobs.

The DA urges Mr Holomisa to now put the people of NMB first. These women and men voted to remove the ANC and replaced it with the coalition government. It is crucial that we do not let them down. Mr Holomisa must not prioritise Mr Bobani at the expense of the millions who have put their faith in the coalition government.

We remain committed to working with the UDM and other coalition partners to deliver corruption-free and efficient government, not only where we currently co-govern, but towards 2019 and beyond.

Statement issued by James Selfe MP, DA Federal Council Chairperson, 26 August 2017