Call for convicted ANC councillor to be removed

The DA’s chief whip Werner Senekal has called on the ANC to immediately remove its councillor, Bongo Nombiba, after he was found guilty of fraud and money laundering on Friday.

Senekal said yesterday the Ward 20 councillor’s conviction indicated in no uncertain terms that he was not fit to be a metro councillor.

“The vacancy must be declared and a by-election must be scheduled. The people of Ward 20 deserve better than a criminal as their public representative,” Senekal said.

The Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court found Nombiba guilty of fraud and money laundering but he was acquitted on two charges of corruption.

Nombiba was arrested by the Hawks in December 2016 and charged with one count of fraud, two of corruption and one of contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.

The court found Nombiba had facilitated a donation from the Ward 20 municipal discretionary fund for the Thulamangwane Community Project, a non-government organisation (NGO) caring for the elderly.

Senekal said he had written to council speaker Jonathan Lawack requesting Nombiba be remotion ferred to the ethics committee.

“Even in opposition, the ANC is embroiled in dirty scandal after scandal.

“While convicted criminal councillor Nombiba awaits sentencing, another two ANC councillors in NMB are facing various assault charges. This is why the ANC was booted out of government in 2016,” he said.

Alluding to the EFF’s planned of no confidence in mayor Athol Trollip on April 6, Senekal said the EFF should ask themselves whether assisting the ANC to “steal” back the city was a good idea or not.

“Only mayor Athol Trollip and the coalition government has what it takes to keep making progress,” he said.

ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said the DA should let the ANC deal with its councillors and focus on its more pressing issue of the motion of no confidence in Trollip.

Ngcukayitobi said the provincial executive committee had requested a full report from the ANC caucus and the regional executive committee on Nombiba.

“Should there be anything incriminating in the report, he will be suspended from ANC activities and face disciplinary processes.”

Ngcukayitobi said worrying about the ANC was too big a task for the DA and the ANC could deal with its own councillors.

Nombiba will be sentenced on April 26.