People are fed up with all the infighting in the council and the “Jerry Springer manners” of politicians – they want jobs and solutions to end poverty, according to Patriotic Alliance president Gayton McKenzie.
This is the premise on which the national leaders of opposition parties in Nelson Mandela Bay will meet on Thursday to discuss and assess governance in the city under the leadership of the DA and its coalition partners.
Among those expected to attend the high-level meeting are McKenzie, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, EFF secretarygeneral Godrich Gardee and AIC secretary-general Mahlubi Jafta.
It was unclear on Wednesday whether or not ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule would attend, while the United Front said it would send a “high-profile” leader.
The gathering, at an undisclosed venue, has raised questions about whether or not there were renewed plans by the opposition to table another motion of no confidence in mayor Athol Trollip.He survived the last two motions, with the backing of the EFF in November and of the Patriotic Alliance earlier this year.
But Jafta said: “This is not about removing the mayor, it’s about bringing stability to the council and seeing how we can work together to achieve that.”
Jafta met the Bay representatives of opposition parties last week, when robust discussions about service delivery in the metro took place.
“No decision was taken last week,” he said.
“The aim of that meeting was to hear from the council what exactly is happening in the municipality.
“The councillors gave their position, they have an idea as opposition parties how they could solve their problems in the metro, especially pertaining to governance.”
He expects similar discussions at the meeting with the national bosses.
McKenzie, whose party is in coalition with the DA, COPE and ACDP in the Bay, said he was invited to the meeting.
“I have not seen what other political parties will put on the agenda,” he said.
“Ours is definitely to have more parties joining government – we need to make the circle bigger.”
Asked if he meant that more parties should join the existing coalition or that they should form another one, McKenzie said: “I would propose more parties join the coalition.
“If that means Trollip is against it, then he should go.
“We just want to deliver to the people.
“We have just given people infighting after infighting.
“We were not voted into power to show off our Jerry Springer manners but to fight poverty and joblessness.”
Marlon Daniels, the PA’s sole councillor in the Bay, said last month he was ready to throw in the towel again.
He said he believed the DA was using northern areas residents as “voting fodder”, and that the PA’s tie to the coalition was nothing more than a marriage of convenience.
Holomisa said: “It’s a question of comparing how far the coalition is and what the challenges are. So, it’s a process of review.
“We have a duty to check what’s the latest, what’s going on. It’s just to compare notes.”
United Front national coordinator Zanoxolo Wayile said one of the party’s leaders would attend.
“We were told they will be coming down to analyse the situation in the Nelson Mandela [Bay] metro – what are the developments and also the state of the institution.”
Wayile said they would approach the meeting with an open mind and be briefed on matters related to service delivery, among other things.
Gardee could not be reached for comment.