Eastern Cape – The Nelson Mandela Bay Council meeting got off to a rocky start resulting in the cancellation of the first council meeting and the war of words between the DA and the ANC.
The council was called by the Nelson Mandela Bay Acting City Manager Anele Qaba following the election of new councillors during the recent local government elections.
But a letter from the Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha to Qaba, said Qaba has no authority to preside over the metro’s first council meeting and ordered him to cancel it for a later date when the provincial Cogta will delegate an official to preside.
In the letter, Nqatha contends that Qaba’s acting role as the City Manager is unlawful because his contract expired in October, when the council was on recess and he was unlawfully granted an extension by then Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Nqaba Bhanga when that decision rests with the council.
He said if the council meeting proceeded with Qaba presiding it would be unlawful and its decisions would be open to litigation.
Qaba said he cancelled the meeting after obtaining the legal advice that Cogta could challenge the status of that meeting.
Bhanga who is the DA mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay Metro accused Nqatha of meddling in the metro council affairs to give the ANC time to find its metro mayoral candidate.
“It is clear that the MEC of the provincial government of the ANC interfered with today’s meeting because his own party is not ready. They are buying time because they have no mayoral candidate and are hoping that postponement of this meeting will give them time to organise themselves,” said Bhanga.
Nqatha hit back saying he is no longer surprised by the DA hypocrisy.
“They claim to be democrats but every time when they have to observe the rule of law and make sure that everything is adhered to, they are the first to object to it,” said Nqatha.
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