GQEBERHA – A motion seeking the removal of Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk has exposed deepening divisions within the metro’s coalition government.

Responding to the Motion of Exigency on 16 July, van Niekerk claimed the move followed his public criticism of the administration and his efforts to address ongoing service delivery failures.

“It appears to follow my recent public criticism of the administration and my continued efforts to hold the municipality accountable for the serious service delivery challenges confronting our city,” he shared in a statement.

Van Niekerk added that he made “no apology” for advocating on behalf of residents and using “every lawful and appropriate avenue available” to improve service delivery and restore public confidence in local government.

According to Van Niekerk, he has written to the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), the Minister of Electricity and Energy and the Minister of Water and Sanitation requesting urgent intervention and technical support to help the municipality address its electricity and water crises.

Focus on service delivery in Nelson Mandela Bay

His statement follows a formal representation he submitted to the MEC for COGTA on 2 July, ahead of the provincial government’s planned engagement with the municipality.

In the letter, Van Niekerk alleged that his efforts to implement practical service delivery programmes had been “consistently obstructed” by Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe.

He said his proposed Rapid Turnaround Strategy, also referred to as “Operation Top 100 – Restoring Pride in Nelson Mandela Bay”, was designed to tackle some of the municipality’s most pressing service delivery challenges.

The plan included repairing potholes, fixing water leaks, restoring street lighting and traffic signals, clearing illegal dumping, cutting grass and maintaining road verges.

“The Rapid Turnaround Strategy was therefore not simply a proposal. It was a practical, implementation-ready programme supported by the administration, aligned with the approved operational budget and designed to deliver immediate and visible improvements across Nelson Mandela Bay,” van Niekerk wrote.

Claims of political obstruction

However, he alleged that the strategy was never allowed to proceed.
“I must respectfully place on record that my efforts to implement meaningful service delivery programmes have been consistently obstructed by the Executive Mayor, Councillor Babalwa Lobishe,” he said.

Van Niekerk further claimed that initiatives aimed at improving residents’ daily lives repeatedly failed to receive the political support needed for implementation.

He alleged this had contributed to deteriorating infrastructure, poor service delivery and declining public confidence in the municipality.

Criminal charges against van Niekerk remain

Meanwhile, Van Niekerk is also facing criminal charges before the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. He has been charged with alleged contraventions of the Cybercrimes Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

According to the State, Van Niekerk allegedly instructed Boqwana Burns Attorneys and McWilliams & Elliott Attorneys to provide legal services on two occasions in June and December 2022 while falsely representing himself as both a councillor and Speaker of Council.

The legal services allegedly amounted to more than R550 000, which the municipality allegedly refused to pay because they had not been approved by the acting city manager. The Hawks further allege that Van Niekerk authored and dispatched a letter to attorneys in Gqeberha falsely claiming to be the Speaker of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipal Council.

He is expected to return to court on Wednesday, 29 July, after the matter was postponed for further proceedings, including discussions around a possible plea agreement.

Despite the motion against him, Van Niekerk said he would respect the democratic processes of council should the matter come before councillors.

PE Express sent questions to Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality on 6 July regarding the allegations contained in Van Niekerk’s open letter. Follow-up questions, including those relating to the Motion of Exigency and Van Niekerk’s 16 July statement, were sent on 23 July. No response had been received by the time of publication.

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