FORMER Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor, Mongameli Bobani, has launched a lawsuit to regain his seat in the mayoral chair of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
This decision came after he had been ousted during a fourth motion of no confidence against him at a council meeting last Thursday.
The DA, PA, COPE, AIC, ANC and ACDP councillors all voted against Bobani while the EFF abstained. Bobani lifted his hand to show that he was against the motion after Buyelwa Mafaya, speaker of the council, asked who opposed the motion.
The former mayor’s spokesperson, George Geleba, told the PE Express last week that Bobani was consulting with his legal team regarding his ousting.
“This was no ordinary council meeting, but a plot to oust the executive mayor, as processes were not followed,” Geleba said.
Bobani held the office for about 15 months, after Athol Trollip, who was still a DA member at the time, was removed by a motion of no confidence.
According to a statement issued by the United Democratic Movement (UDM) secretary general, Bongani Msomi, the national executive committee (NEC) of the UDM met at the weekend to discuss the removal of Bobani.
Msomi said, “After carefully considering the feedback it received, the UDM NEC is of the view that the matter of the motion of no confidence was irregularly included on the council agenda and that the removal of Mongameli Bobani as executive mayor was therefore unprocedural.”
Msomi said in the statement that it was clear that some villainous political machinations were at play to hamper the progress Bobani’s administration was making and that, because he declined to take part in tender rigging, he was removed.
Bobani has indicated that he had already taken the matter for judicial review.
“The party wishes to take this opportunity to express its disgust at the manner in which it and Bobani were treated.
“As a matter of principle, the UDM fully endorses this legal action in the hope that, if it be necessary, any mayor will be protected from unprocedural removal from office,” Msomi said.
Netwerk24 reported that Bantu Holomisa, UDM leader, confirmed that Bobani had signed court papers to start legal action.
Holomisa posted on Twitter that Bobani would contest the decision of the ANC and DA.
Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor, Thsonono Buyeye, has been appointed as the acting mayor after Bobani’s removal until one is officially appointed.
