Athol Trollip is not a political ‘dinosaur’, he’s a ‘coelacanth’

Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club on Monday, former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor, the DA’s Athol Trollip, who was ousted in August, says that his political career is far from over.

“I have been around for a long time in politics [but] I am not a political dinosaur. I regard myself as a coelacanth‚” Trollip said, in a bid to explain that while people may think his removal as mayor will lead to his “extinction,” he will remain a player in politics.

“Some people thought it was a dinosaur that didn’t exist any more‚ but it is still very much alive. It’s an interesting fish that has been around for a long‚ long time. I regard myself as a political coelacanth.”

On September 20, the Port Elizabeth High Court dismissed an application brought by the DA to challenge the outcome of the controversial council meeting which saw the ousting of Trollip as mayor.

READ MORE: DA maintains Trollip’s ousting was unlawful, will head to court

Trollip told reporters outside the court that he respected the judge’s decision and that he would remain on as an opposition councillor.

Trollip also wasted no time in taking a swipe at former DA councillor Victor Manyati, who he labelled a sell-out. Trollip was adamant that Manyati’s membership was terminated at the council meeting, despite the court’s finding that this was, in fact, a contravention of the DA’s own constitution.

Trollip said: “You were part of the journalists that recorded him saying he was leaving the DA. And he took it one step further – he actually crossed the benches, crossed the floor, and sat in the benches of the ANC. So you can’t be a DA member if you sit in the ANC benches. But as far as we are concerned, we have seen this treachery before in the floor crossing and since people are desperate to get into power.”

The DA in Nelson Mandela Bay will now return to council in the opposition benches.

The court battle arose over a technicality around Manyati’s party membership after he publicly stated that he would resign. The new government in the Bay; the UDM, ANC, UF, and the AIC coalition with the support of the EFF; had insisted at the time that there was a quorum of 61 councillors in the house to continue.

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