Political parties in the Nelson Mandela Bay council have accused Eastern Cape cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Xolile Nqatha of trying to manipulate the municipal system to save the ANC after it failed to lead a governing coalition.
Parties attended a special council meeting on Friday, where Nqatha tabled a proposal to amend the Section 12 notice of the metro, which would abolish the existing mayoral executive system, and replace it with a collective executive system with a ward participatory system.
South African Local Government Association COO Lance Joel tabled a presentation on the meaning of Nqatha’s proposal. Joel said in the new scenario the executive committee will have 10 members. Four seats will be allocated to the ANC, four to the DA, one seat to the EFF and another one to the Northern Alliance. Both the ANC and the DA have 48 seats on the council, the EFF has eight, while the Northern Alliance has three.
The new system would mean smaller parties that have a single council seat and some that are on the mayoral committee thanks to the coalition, would no longer be part of the committee.
He said the mayor and his deputy would be elected by the council from the 10 members of this executive committee.
Joel said the system is widely used in KwaZulu-Natal, including the eThekwini metro, and has created stability in municipalities across that province.
But political parties tore into Nqatha’s proposal and questioned his motives.
The Patriotic Alliance, DA, EFF, UDM, Freedom Front Plus and GOOD all rejected the proposal, saying it was a way for the ANC to remain in power.
The parties are expected back in council on Thursday to carry out the motion of no-confidence against ANC mayor Eugene Johnson, her deputy Buyelwa Mafaya and chief whip Wandisile Jikela.
Nqatha’s spokesperson, Makhaya Komisa, said: “It’s pure coincidence the new model was presented at the time parties were making coalition agreements.”
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