Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor, Retief Odendaal, will be facing a motion of no-confidence, notice of which was given just a day after he announced the suspension of several officials in the City’s Electricity and Energy Department.
The cautionary suspensions were made amid a probe into fraud and corruption following an explosion at a sub-station in the Coega SEZ.
Meanwhile, a petition signed by 62 councillors from the ANC, EFF, and Northern Alliance among others, called for a Special Council meeting to be convened on 8 May, where the EFF’s motion to remove Odendaal was submitted.
Deputy Mayor, Khusta Jack, Speaker, Gary van Nieker, and Chief Whip, Bill Harrington of the FFPlus are also in the firing line, even though Van Niekerk is one of three NA councillors who signed the petition.
According to the petition, the basis for the Mayor’s removal relates to his apparent inaction on a finding by the Auditor-General that Deputy Mayor and businessman, Jack, had “failed to declare his financial interest when a company of which he is a director was awarded a tender.”
“The Executive Mayor failed to bring the matter to the attention of Council and the South African Police Service as required by the Municipal Finance Management Act. It is strongly believed that the Deputy Executive Mayor has breached the code of conduct for councillors which prohibits any councillor from doing business with Council,” the petition said.
But, according to a statement on Sunday, the Auditor-General, said it withdrew "its erroneous finding linking Deputy Mayor Khusta Jack's name to a painting business which has been doing business with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality."
Spokesperson, Mandla Tyala, said the retraction came about after Jack's lawyers pointed out to the AG that he has no ties to the painting company, Umzamo Wethu, which the AG found had made a "false declaration" to the Municipality's supply chain Department in that it had failed to disclose the Deputy Mayor was a shareholder or director of the business.
He said it was after receiving the letter from Jack's lawyers it was established from the CIPC database that he owns a company called Umzamowethu (Oyster Bay) Fishermen’s Corporation, and this was not the same Umzamowethu that did business with the municipality.
Meanwhile, hitting back at the motion of no confidence, DA provincial leader, Andrew Whitfield, said this move “once more highlights the lengths that the corrupt ANC/EFF cabal will go to keep hold of the Metro’s coffers.”
"Mayor Odendaal and the coalition government have been cracking down on corruption and it is telling that a cabal under the leadership of the ANC/EFF doomsday coalition, today submitted this motion - one day after seven senior municipal officials were placed on suspension," he said.
Whitfield also encouraged those political parties supporting the motion of no confidence to reconsider their decision in the interests of the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay.
