The ANC-EFF coalition has toppled another DA mayor, with the removal of Retief Odendaal as Nelson Mandela Bay’s first citizen after a heated metro council meeting that dragged on for hours.
The removal of Odendaal led to the election of Northern Alliance councillor Gary van Niekerk as the new mayor.
Former ANC Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Eugene Johnson was elected speaker.
Since the local government elections the metro now has its third mayor, after Johnson and Odendaal.
In his acceptance speech on Friday, Van Niekerk said the DA had been trying to cling to power by mobilising people from poor communities to prevent a motion of no confidence against Odendaal.
Van Niekerk said his first priority was to deal with load shedding by implementing mitigation measures.
He said gang violence was also a serious problem in the Northern Areas in the metro.
“We remain resolute to win the confidence and trust of the people. I want to thank all my coalition partners. I am mindful that my first task is to retain political stability,” said Van Niekerk.
The removal of the DA mayor in Nelson Mandela Bay comes after the ANC-EFF coalition removed its mayors in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, West Rand and Mogale City.
In Johannesburg Kabelo Gwamanda, from Al-Jama-ah, took over from his party colleague, Thapelo Amad.
This was after Mpho Phalatse of the DA was removed through a motion of no confidence in January.
In Ekurhuleni, Tania Campbell of the DA was also voted out of office after another motion of no confidence. She was replaced by Sivuyile Ngodwana of the African Independent Congress.
In Tshwane, the DA remains in charge after it recently recaptured the City.
Deputy State President Paul Mashatile told Parliament this week they would have a summit in the next two months to develop a framework that would stop small parties from running municipalities.
Mashatile said they wanted the framework to lead to legislation that would allow parties with most of the votes to get into a coalition in order to prevent instability.
President Cyril Ramaphosa had also said recently this new framework on coalitions would have to start before the elections next year.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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