It was day of major political developments in South Africa Wednesday as political parties revealed their post-election co-operation plans at local government level.
A changing of the guard is imminent in Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and possibly elsewhere as coalition deals were revealed ahead of Thursday's first Council meetings.
This followed the 3 August local government elections during which the electorate handed politicians no less than 27 hung councils including in some major metropolitan municipalities.
A DA-led local council will be installed in Nelson Mandela Bay after incumbent mayor, Athol Trollip, said that they've reached a coalition agreement with the United Democratic Movement, the African Christian Democratic Party and the Congress of the People.
He said the residents of the Metro have spoken and given the DA a mandate to form a local government and work together to stop corruption, create jobs and deliver better services.
Trollip said the cooperating parties in the agreement have committed to being partners in the administration, to give effect to its local government manifesto promises.
"What has happened in the last 12 or 13 days is that one meeting after the other we have found a meeting of minds. What has been the most experience for in that time, because I've been involved in the discussions from start to finish has been the fact that when opposition political parties in this country speak to each other and not shout at each other we can hear each other," he said.
"We came to a consensus that what we wanted was change and with that change we wanted good governance, honest government and a government that will deliver for all the people," Trollip said.
The UDM's Mongameli Bobani, said it was the people of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro that brought them together.
"No one knew that today we are going to be at this table of brotherhood. The people of the Metro wanted it to be like this. They wanted the government of today be this particular government and we will not disappoint," Bobani said.
He said "this particular government" will put the interest of communities first.
Speaking on behalf of the Congress of People, Siyasanga Sijadu, agreed that the people of the Metro had spoken.
She said that message from the electorate was that "enough is enough" adding that COPE's happy to be part of that change.
"We are not going to make empty promises. We will be a government that ensures that service delivery continues in a proper and efficient way because for the longest time people have been made promises and these have not been delivered," she said.
The first meeting of the new council will take place at the Feather Market Centre in Port Elizabeth Thursday where elections will be held to fill the key positions of Speaker, Executive Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
