Patriotic Alliance (PA) councillor Marlon Daniels has been chosen by most opposition party leaders to replace mayor Athol Trollip, should their bid to install a new coalition government in Nelson Mandela Bay succeed.
Former deputy mayor Mongameli Bobani, of the UDM, will be their deputy mayor candidate, it was decided at a meeting with the party bosses in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
UDM president Bantu Holomisa and PA leader Gayton McKenzie confirmed the decision, saying it was unanimous.
Those at the meeting included Holomisa, McKenzie, the ANC’s Faith Muthambi, EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee and AIC secretary-general Mahlubi Jafta.
Holomisa and McKenzie said they were still deliberating on the names submitted for the speaker, chief whip and remaining mayoral committee positions.
However, the EFF’s national office threw the plans into disarray late last night when it said it “will not support any candidate from the Patriotic Alliance for the position of mayor”, but was willing to engage “all other political parties to present a different candidate”.
“Our hatred for racism will never be manipulated to vote [for] a party of unrepentant fraudsters.
“[The] EFF will never give the city of Nelson Mandela to thugs,” the party’s national spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, said in a statement.
“If there is no worthy candidate from opposition benches the EFF will not participate,” the statement said, emphasising that the inter-party talks were ongoing.
The EFF said, however, that it supported the motion of no confidence against Trollip.
It is understood that the wish list, drawn up by the Bay opposition party leaders, includes the following names for mayoral committee positions: Bicks Ndoni (ANC) for speaker, Queenie Pink (ANC) for chief whip, Mkhuseli Mtsila (United Front) for budget and treasury, Andile Lungisa (ANC) for infraspecial structure, engineering and energy, Thsonono Buyeye (AIC) roads and transport, Andile Mfunda (ANC) for human settlements, Bobani for public health, Buyelwa Mafaya (ANC) for economic development, Litho Suka (ANC) for safety and security, and Makhi Feni (ANC) for human resources.
The opposition parties – the ANC, EFF, United Front, African Independent Congress (AIC), UDM and current coalition partner the PA – are pushing forward with their effort to remove Trollip, speaker Jonathan Lawack and chief whip Werner Senekal.
Last week, 61 councillors signed a petition calling for a council meeting to be held on Friday to debate their no-confidence motions.
Lawack has yet to respond, insisting on Tuesday that he was still applying his mind.
But the parties are adamant that they will hold a meeting with or without Lawack’s approval.Bobani said that come what may, they would be at the Wool Exchange Building at 2pm on Friday and expected city boss Johann Mettler to administer and implement the council resolutions.
Lungisa said if the council chamber was locked, they would find an alternative venue for the meeting.
Daniels said: “We have recourse and other options, as per the constitution as well as the Municipal Structures Act.
“In the event of the speaker failing to convene the meeting, the city manager is our recourse.
“There is no way you can duck and dive when you are petitioned. It would be illegal for the speaker not to pronounce on the meeting to sit.”
Earlier yesterday, Daniels said he was “pleased” about the decision by the national bosses to endorse him as their mayoral candidate.
“A decision was taken that the minority parties should lead this government, even though there are these perceptions that the ANC is being led in through the back door.
“It is not the case. The decision around the positions allocated to the respective councillors in Nelson Mandela Bay was a national decision in the absence of the councillors.
“The way that we planned to do it was a much better way [so as] not to have contestation among councillors as we are supposed to work together not contest each other,” he said.
“Therefore it was in the interest of the new government that the decision was taken by national [bosses].”
The AIC’s Buyeye said the party had not yet been briefed by the national leaders on the outcome of the meeting.
Buyeye said it would accept whatever decision was taken.
He said a meeting with Lawack on Tuesday about their petition did not yield the desired outcome.
“The speaker told us that he is still applying his mind and we respect whatever decision the speaker takes.
“We will take it from there if we are not happy with his decision,” Buyeye said.
Last week, leaders of the various opposition parties decided to form a new coalition, saying the DA and its coalition partners the ACDP and COPE had failed to deliver services to the poor in the Bay and had prioritised suburbs over townships and the northern areas.
The opposition parties hold a combined 61 of the 120 council seats, while the DA, COPE and ACDP have a total of 59.
The EFF previously said it would not join any coalition.