After eight hours or so of bickering, Nelson Mandela Bay Councillors, without the support of the EFF, voted and adopted the adjustment budget.
This paves the way for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to pay around 400 security guards who were "insourced" earlier this year, without being in breach of the Public Finance Management Act.
However, a Special Council meeting to deal with votes of no confidence in the executive mayor, Athol Trollip, Speaker Jonathan Lawack and Chief Whip, Werner Senekal, was postponed for two weeks following a day of chaos in the Council chamber.
Opposition parties members hurled insults and threats at each other, prompting Speaker Jonathan Lawack to adjourn proceedings several times during the day in a bid to calm tempers.
The motion of no confidence in Trollip was proposed by the EFF in its quest to fulfill a promise to punish the DA for opposing the EFF's motion in Parliament on land expropriation without compensation.
EFF leader, Julius Malema, also said that he wanted to oust Trollip because he is white.
However, the EFF alliance with the ANC and UDM to oust Trollip backfired when Patriotic Alliance Councillor, Marlon Daniels and later the AIC, pledged their support for the DA-led coalition, saying that they could not support Malema's quest to oust Trollip because he is white.
This meant that the DA-led coalition would have 61 seats in the 120 seat council, a majority needed to overturn the motions.
Commenting on Thursday's Council meeting, the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay denied that it had been responsible for trying to collapse the meeting.
ANC regional secretary, Themba Xathula, said in a statement that "the Speaker of Council has changed the order paper for today’s council meeting which itemised to first deal with the motion of no confidence to the Speaker himself without notifying Party Whips as per Rules of Order."
"The ANC and other opposition parties objected to that decision as they felt undermined. Most importantly the political parties requested an adjournment to caucus and follow the Speaker to engage Party Whips, which he agreed," he said.
Xathula said however that the Speaker had failed to coordinate engagements with Party Whips, hence the deadlock.
Referring to the adjustment budget, Xathula said that the ANC had noted that "the budgetary allocation has been cut for our townships and Northern areas."
He said a R70m allocation for the tarring of roads will go to resurfacing the roads for an Ironman competition and "our people aren't the intended beneficiaries".
"This again reaffirms our held view that this DA-led government does not care about people," Xathula said.
DA leader, Mmusi Maimane, in his reaction laid the blame for the chaos in Council at the door of the ANC, EFF, and UDM.
"Today the EFF, ANC and UDM coalition has resorted to disrupting and attempting to collapse the Council meeting in Nelson Mandela Bay because they know they will not win the Motion of No Confidence against Mayor Athol Trollip," he charged.
He said their conduct "confirmed to the country that they can only respond with chaos and violence when things don't go their way."
Maimane said that their motion was always just about racism. "The people of the Bay and the people of South Africa reject the hate-fuelled politics of the EFF and reject giving the Metro back to the corrupt ANC. We must continue to guard against their hatred and continue to build a united South Africa for all," Maimane said.
"What the public want is clean, honest government that delivers better services, especially to the poor. They want parties to work together against corruption, and they want leaders that bring our country together, not tear it apart. This project of co-operation, clean government, and unity is the project the DA is committed to. We will commit ourselves to this project, no matter the hate and divisiveness of our opponents".
(A scuffle ensues after an adjournment in proceedings)
(ANC and EFF supporters come together on Vuyisile Mini Square in front of PE City Hall)
(ANC member makes her feelings known)
