DA to picket for removal of BCM mayor

DA Eastern Cape premier candidate Nqaba Bhanga will lead a picket on Wednesday for the removal of Buffalo City mayor Xola Pakati.

Bhanga, along with other DA members, will picket outside the East London City Hall.

This comes after the DA tabled a motion of no-confidence against Pakati in January which was meant to be debated during a Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) council meeting on January 25.

The meeting, however, was postponed.

The motion - which is yet to be debated - was prompted by the illegal strike by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in November 2018.

During the strike, there were allegations of property damage, arson, and other criminal acts against striking workers.

In addition, basic services, such as water and electricity, were interrupted for extended periods of time, with some areas being disconnected for weeks on end.

DA council chief whip in BCM Dharmesh Dhaya accused Pakati of being unable to deal with the strike and said BCM continued to face serious financial and governance issues.

"This was one of BCM's most violent and expensive strikes that could have been avoided," Dhaya said.