Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani survived yet another attempt to remove him on Tuesday.
Both the DA and the African Christian Democratic Party submitted motions of no-confidence in Bobani, but the DA’s Nqaba Bhanga withdrew the party’s motion to support that of ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom.
The motion was tabled at the council meeting held at the Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton.
After voting on the matter, with Bobani emerging victorious, the mayor jumped onto the stage and hugged council speaker Buyelwa Mafaya, who had earlier survived a similar motion tabled by the DA.
DA councillor Rano Kayser accused Mafaya of being biased towards the coalition partners and only listening to councillors Zilindile Vena of the EFF and Andile Lungisa (ANC).
“You’ve proven yourself not to understand the rules which you are the custodian of.
“During the last meeting held in Despatch, you failed to apply the rules when an official of the court was assaulted,” Kayser said.
Makhi Feni of the ANC described Kayser’s motion as incompetent .
Vena said the DA councillors were power mongers, and that they only wanted a DA councillor as speaker.
Patriotic Alliance councillor Marlon Daniels said he did not have a problem with Mafaya’s removal but there should be substance to the reasons.
“With our previous speaker [Jonathan Lawack] a lot of things went wrong and a lot of meetings degenerated into chaos,” he said.
Bhanga said Bobani had failed to account to council about the investigation by the Hawks into payments allegedly made to him from Heerkos Projects, which is accused of squandering money meant for the IPTS.
But Lungisa claimed there was no case against Bobani, just mere allegations.
“The rumours flying around are just media rumours. The Herald is part of the white monopoly capital which will be defeated,” Lungisa said.
Council chief whip Bicks Ndoni also survived a motion for his removal tabled by Retief Odendaal.