Nelson Mandela Bay councillors pay tribute to 'giant' Mhlahlo

A mature politician who befriended his opponents and an activist who was passionate about Port Elizabeth .

This is how former Eastern Cape MEC for safety, and anti-apartheid activist Thobile Mhlahlo was described at a Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting on Thursday.

Councillors paid tribute to Mhlahlo before delving into the agenda.

The meeting is set to discuss the 2019-20 draft budget and IDP.

It is the first sitting since the May 8 general elections.

DA councillor Athol Trollip said Mhlahlo was a colleague and his friend.

"I was a colleague of Mhlahlo for 10 years in the provincial legislature. We became friends and we played golf and shared many humorous moments," Trollip said.

Trollip said he had read many obituaries and he concurred with them.

"I was very inspired by the fact that when he left politics he went into business.

"He started his business from scratch and employed people, he was committed to this city and contributed.

"I am very sad about his passing and I would like to share my deepest sympathies with the family, " Trollip said.

ANC councillor Litho Suka said he was also deeply saddened by Mhlahlo's passing.

"I have known Mhlahlo since the 1980s. It was a sad moment when he went into exile.

"He had to make a choice whether to fight or submit to the system and he chose to fight.

"The ANC has lost a a giant and someone who was passionate about education," Suka said.

The councillors also had a moment of silence for the families who lost their loved ones in recent shack fires.

Shack fires in Malabar and Baylan - on the outskirts of Despatch - claimed the lives of several residents.

Mayor Mongameli Bobani said: "It's a concern that we are losing families who die in fires.

"We went there and we have seen the conditions they are living in.

"We also want to plead with communities not to take matters into their own hands."

EFF councillor Lukhanyo Mrara said: “It’s sad to hear the news of Bra Tobo is no more. He has never forgotten cadres in the Bay and was an inspiration to many. We are with them".

PA councillor Marlon Daniels extended his condolences to families who lost their loved ones in shack fires over the past week.

“During winter these things escalate but what are we doing. These people aren’t staying in shacks because they want to. They start fires to cook.

"They also start fires to keep warm so I think we should really look at formal electrification," Daniels said.

The council meeting continues.