Naziziphiwo Buso
Despite the Eastern Cape Government digging its heels in in the fight for changing the municipal governance system in Nelson Mandela Bay in the name of political stability, executive mayor Retief Odendaal says the city is stable.
Odendaal was speaking to members of the media on Monday with council speaker, Cllr Gary van Niekerk, highlighting the successes of the municipality in the last couple of months.
Van Niekerk says there are no outstanding items that the council has yet to consider, and all reports from standing committees that held meetings up to December last year have been before the Mayoral Committee and have been considered by council.
He says this is demonstrative of a council that is bringing back dignity and productivity to council meetings
He says the municipality has had 26 budget amendments, and a few policy review processes have commenced like the Unauthorised, Irregular, Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure Policy.
He also counted the hosting of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, reducing water tariffs and the integrated public transport system [IPTS] turnaround plan as some of the coalition's successes.
Meanwhile, Odendaal took a jab at the MEC of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, Zolile Williams, who had signed the notice to scrap the mayoral executive system in the Metro.
The matter is still in court after the DA filed a two-part application in the Gqeberha high court last year after the gazetting of a section 12 notice.
The first part of the court application sought to suspend the implementation of section 12 and for the coalition government to remain.
They agreed on the temporary suspension of the section 12 change and for the coalition government to remain in place pending a court hearing on February 16 which seeks to overturn the section 12 declaration.
Mayor Odendaal said the "hostile” takeover by the MEC is unwarranted.
"One of the arguments the MEC has been making is that there can never be stability in Nelson Mandela Bay because of the coalition that exists.
"I think we have proven the MEC wrong because there is stability in Nelson Mandela Bay. We have many challenges but we have proven that coalitions can work together if they put the people first," he added.
