Trollip to face next hurdle at Nelson Mandela Bay vote on motion of no confidence

After retaining his position as federal chairman of the Democratic Alliance (DA) at the party’s elective conference this weekend, Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Athol Trollip has another obstacle to face in the form of a second motion of no confidence tabled by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Councillors will debate the motion in a special council sitting set to take place on Tuesday after a meeting last month degenerated into chaos.

The first motion against the embattled mayor was tabled by Patriotic Alliance (PA) councillor Marlon Daniels in August last year. This motion failed, ironically because at the time Trollip could still count on the support of the EFF, ensuring his survival as mayor.

But last month, the EFF filed a motion of no confidence against Trollip. It’s a sign of the fragility of the coalition led by the DA, less than two years after the EFF helped it wrest control of the metro from the ANC after the August 2016 local government elections.

Also on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting are motions to oust Speaker Joanthan Lawack and Chief Whip of Council Werner Senekal and to dismantle the entire mayoral committee team.

Opposition parties led by the EFF and the ANC have indicated that they would support a bid to oust Trollip at the special council sitting.

The EFF needs the support of every other opposition party, including the ANC, to make up the 61-vote majority in the council of 120 seats.

The DA, with its remaining coalition partners the Congress of the People (Cope) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), together have 59 seats, while the ANC has 50, the EFF six, the UDM two and the PA, African Independent Congress (AIC) and United Front (UF) one each.

Daniels previously said that he would now support Trollip in the latest motion while the lone AIC councillor was reportedly instructed to vote with the DA against the motion.

Daniels has signed the coalition co-governance agreement for the second time following the finalisation of a deal between the DA and PA last month. It was due to see him gain the positions of deputy mayor and that of political head for roads and transport.

After the UDM’s Mongameli Bobani was sacked, the deputy mayor position was done away with at council but that decision is set to be rescinded to enable Daniels to be accommodated.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa issued a statement on Sunday claiming that Trollip was an out right liar and that he had lied to council about Bobani.

“Trollip misrepresented a secreted draft PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, warned against by its authors for not complying with generally accepted auditing standards, and adjusted for surmised references to criminality to justify Bobani’s removal. Even Trollip’s new, and latest BFF, the Patriotic Alliance’s Marlon Daniels, admitted that he had been fooled by Trollip’s lies about Bobani.

“Only when confronted by evidence, and after being caught out, did Trollip try to justify his malicious misrepresentation. What did Trollip do yet again; he simply lied.”

Holomisa encouraged all councillors to vote with their conscience on the motion on Tuesday.

– African News Agency (ANA)

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