Cogta will merely observe NMB council meeting - MEC Nqatha

Cooperative governance and traditional affairs officials will attend Friday's Nelson Mandela Bay special council meeting - but they will merely observe the proceedings. 

This was said by Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha in a letter to DA Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga, in which he said he did not want to play an active role in the meeting when there were allegations that former DA councillor Werner Senekal had signed the petition requesting the meeting.

Senekal resigned from the council in June.

On Wednesday, Bhanga wrote to Nqatha asking that a Cogta official preside over the meeting in the event that acting city manager Anele Qaba does not attend.

Nqatha responded: "One aspect I will agree on is the issue of a request for the department official to oversee the proceedings of a the council meeting if the city manager is not available.

"This is influenced by an allegation sent by the speaker [Buyelwa Mafaya] that there is a councillor who resigned but has since signed the petition requesting the sitting of a special council meeting".

Nqatha said if the allegations proved to be true, it could seriously compromise the department.

He said, while the department wants to investigate the matter, there was no time to do so.

"The above is by no means running away from my responsibilities as dictated by law. I am adopting a cautious approach when there are allegations that have not been investigated," Nqatha said.

In a signed letter sent to Trollip on Thursday, Nkosana Dunjana, who works in Mafaya's office, queried Senekal’s name and signature on the petition as Senekal. 

“By the directive of the speaker of council, I have been instructed to request a response from councillor A Trollip regarding an illegal act in which a former councillor signed a petition for her office to convene a special council meeting.

“What is the basis for the former councillor's [Werner Senekal] involvement in council business?” Dunjana asked.

Trollip responded that the signature was purely an oversight and did not constitute an illegal act.

“The office of the DA chief whip accidentally used the list of DA signatures that he had in his possession from the original motion of no confidence in the mayor, which sentiment and objective remains alive,” Trollip wrote.