Nelson Mandela Bay ANC branches reject plans to work with DA

The ANC regional task team’s second attempt at winning over branches in Nelson Mandela Bay fell flat yet again at a meeting held at Florence Matomela House on Sunday.

The branch members said the RTT had tried to convince the party’s branches on its planned partnership with the DA to remove Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani.

The offer the ANC had brought to the table was that the DA was willing to vote Bobani out of office and vote the ANC back into City Hall.

Instead, the DA wanted the ANC to revise the metro’s system to ensure that DA councillors, rather than mayoral committee members, served as committee chairs.

A branch 60 member, who did not want to be named, said all branch members were unanimous at Sunday’s meeting that they did not want to work with the DA.

“We do not want to account to the DA because that will not work.

“The RTT can't expect ANC deployees to vote with a counter-revolutionary party.

“We made it clear to the RTT that the ANC must engage with the black caucus and if it is out of ideas then the national executive committee must come down here along with province,” the branch member said.

The branches met with RTT convener Nceba Faku, co-ordinator Luyolo Nqakula and provincial executive committee deployee Zamuxolo Peter.

The meeting was described as tense as branches aired their views.

A branch member from Ward 46 said while some branches had agreed Bobani should go, they felt placing the ANC in a position that forced it to account to the DA was not the way to do it.

“There are other options available to the ANC, such as possibly making the EFF chairs of the committees, COPE's Siyasanga Sijadu or even Thoko Tshangela from the UDM,” the branch member said.

“Not everyone is happy with how Bobani is doing things, but this does not mean we must work with the DA.

“Policy allows for these Section 79 committees so there are ways to go around this.

“The branches have made it clear the ANC will not work with the DA,” the member said.

It is also understood the RTT brought forward the suggestion of possibly dissolving the council.

This, too, was rejected.

One branch member said the metro had not yet reached that level.

“Workers are still being paid their salaries; services are reaching the people but all we need to work is appoint a CFO and fill those vacancies.

"[Co-operative governance and traditional affairs] MEC [Xolile Nqatha] does not have to dissolve the metro council.

“He can still provide support and intervene,” the branch member said.

Confirming the meeting, Nqakula said the RTT did not meet the structures to give them directives, but to share analysis on governance issues in the metro and relate consequences of those issues.

“We also discussed the distorted information that was out there about the ANC and the so-called coalition between the ANC and DA.

“There is no coalition between the ANC and DA.

“We also briefed the structures on the contents of the letter from the National Treasury and the implications of that letter,” he said.

Nqakula said there was no decision by the RTT to disengage with the black caucus.

“There’s no denying that we are in a crisis, that there’s an urgent need to stabilise the institution and also the compliance issues that the city has is facing,” he said.

Nqakula said not a single branch member had had issues with removing Bobani.