Heated scenes played out at a Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting on Thursday when Patriotic Alliance (PA) councillor Marlon Daniels almost came to blows with Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Gustav Rautenbach.
Tempers flared during the adjustment budget debate when Daniels - in a shock move - jumped on a table and threatened to 'moer' [hit] Rautenbach. Other councillors intervened, acting as a buffer to keep them apart.
"Shut up! Ek het lank laas 'n boer gemoer" [I haven't beaten a white person/farmer in a long time], said a visibly angry Daniels.
#nmbcouncil PA councillor Marlon Daniels vaults over a desk as Nelson Mandela Bay Council meeting hots up. pic.twitter.com/mXWWT8cff5
— AlgoaFMNews (@AlgoaFMNews) February 28, 2019
Before the conflict arose, Daniels said that he was unhappy that money was being redirected from the northern areas of the metro. He said the DA was hypocritical in complaining because the party had done nothing for the northern areas under local government.
The DA’s Retief Odendaal had earlier sent a statement saying that the more than R50 million, budgeted for 11 Wards in the northern areas, would now be directed to other wards and projects.
The ANC’s Rory Riordan disputed the DA’s figures and said the DA was misleading the public. He said the budget for the northern area projects had risen from R9 million to R16 million.
Despite the drama, the adjustment budget was passed. The DA, Cope, ACDP and the PA voted against it.
- African News Agency
