DA leader in the Eastern Cape, Nqaba Bhanga, was re-elected
as Nelson Mandela Bay mayor during a special council meeting held yesterday (Thursday).
Bhanga, who was nominated for the position by Cope’s
Siyasanga Sijadu and Lance Grootboom from the ACDP, received 62 votes and his
fellow nominee, Amandlagawethu Madaka from the EFF, 57 votes. Madaka was nominated
by the PA’s Marlon Daniels and Wandisile Jikeka from the ANC.
Speaker of council, Buyelwa Mafaya, called the special council
meeting earlier this week after a court order issued last week gave her seven
days to call the meeting, with the election of a mayor to be the only item on
the agenda.
“I have already been labelled as someone who is unfair and
biased so I will make sure that everything is done fairly and freely today and
that the election of a mayor takes place,” Mafaya said during the meeting.
Last year, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta)
MEC, Xolile Nqatha, described the election of Bhanga as mayor during a chaotic
and drama-filled council meeting held on December 4, as “tainted with flaws and
not in compliance with legislation.”
During the meeting that lasted more than 11 hours, Mafaya
was manhandled and forcefully removed from chambers. Daniels was then
elected as acting Speaker to continue the process of electing a new mayor.
Bhanga was elected by councillors of the DA, PA, Cope, ACDP, UF and AIC.
According to Cogta, since neither the acting city manager
nor MEC presided over the election of the acting Speaker during this meeting,
the election was unlawful. This is turn meant that Daniels’ actions on that
day, including presiding over the election of the new mayor, were null and void.
Nqatha subsequently took the matter to court but settled with the DA outside court earlier this month. As part of the settlement, Bhanga was to
remain mayor until the election of a new mayor during the next council meeting,
which took place yesterday.
Bhanga is scheduled to address the media later today to talk
about his re-election.
