Election of new NMB mayor ‘unlikely for next few weeks’

The election of a new mayor for Nelson Mandela Bay is unlikely to proceed over the next few weeks.

This as councillors met in the council chambers for their first meeting of 2020 on Thursday, with the notable exception of two UDM members – ousted executive mayor Mongameli Bobani and Thoko Tshangela.

The council secretariat later reported to the council that the two had made submissions for a leave of absence.

While residents eagerly await the election of a new mayor, the matter was not on the agenda.

Acting executive mayor Thsonono Buyeye told News24 the election was unlikely to take place in the next few weeks.

Buyeye said the next council meeting would only take place at the end of February.

“Today’s council is dealing with administrative matters, emanating from previous meetings,” he added.

Meanwhile, DA councillor Leander Kruger gave a shocking reflection of a city that is failing dismally to provide service delivery and monitoring of its delivery methods.

Speaking about the 2019/2020 mid-term budget performance assessment, Kruger said the worst performing was municipal viability.

“In terms of our own KPI’s, this municipality is not performing. If we look at our grant funding, it is a mess. We make excuses and allow this shame to take place.”

Kruger said 80% of grant funding was not spent.

The Patriotic Alliance’s Marlon Daniels lambasted the dismal service delivery rate.

“The biggest problem we face as this council are the officials of this municipality, we have here officials who think they are politicians.

“Officials are holding us politicians at ransom where service delivery is concerned.”

Daniels said the council needed to crack the whip and remove officials who were holding back service delivery.

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