Temporary reprieve for MBDA board members

MANDELA Bay Development Agency board members, who challenged the municipality’s decision to fire them, will not be replaced tomorrow, the Port Elizabeth High Court has ordered.

The court granted the four board members leeway to May 10 to challenge the legality of the municipality’s decision to remove them.

The interim interdict, which was agreed to by the legal representatives of both the municipality and the board members, was granted yesterday afternoon.

Port Elizabeth advocate Luvuyo Bono and businessmen Motse Mfuleni, Lucky Gosani and Samkelo Dlulane filed an urgent court application a week ago to stop the municipality from replacing them at tomorrow’s council meeting.

They claimed in court papers the board had been dissolved because it refused to renew former chief executive Pierre Voges’ contract, despite repeated requests from municipal bosses to do so.

MBDA company secretary BNI Attorneys was also interdicted yesterday from registering the removal of the applicants’ names in terms of the Companies Act.

The cost of the proceedings was reserved until the hearing of the main case.

Acting city manager Johann Mettler said the municipality would appoint new directors at tomorrow’s council meeting and a board meeting would be called soon thereafter.