Patriotic Alliance and UDM now seeking Trollip's and Lawack's heads

The political impasse at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality that began when Executive Mayor, Athol Trollip, disagreed over a number of issues with his then Deputy, Mongameli Bobani, resulting in months of public squabbling, is set for another episode as the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) have seemingly joined hands against the Democratic Alliance (DA) led coalition and now want Trollip and Council Speaker, Jonathan Lawack, gone.

The parties have reportedly submitted notices of motions of no confidence in the two for debate at the next Council meeting, scheduled for the 30th of November.

Surprisingly, the motion against Trollip was proposed by Patriotic Alliance councillor, Marlon Daniels, who in August tabled a motion of no confidence in Bobani, leading to Bobani's ouster as the Deputy Mayor.

The Patriotic Alliance was admitted into the DA-led coalitiondays later and Daniels took over Bobani's previous portfolio as Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality MMC for Public Health.

UDM Leader, Bantu Holomisa, who was fighting for the reinstatement of Bobani, said at the time that the DA had won over the PA with a mayoral committee seat and in exchange, the PA did the DA's dirty work.

The UDM failed to get Bobani reinstated through the courts after the UDM's application was thrown out.

It later emerged that the PA had apparently been promised the Deputy Mayor position and after opposition parties that included the UDM and the African National Congress (ANC) boycotted the Council Meeting that would debate the matter in September, the Patriotic Alliance announced that it was leaving the DA-led coalition.

The DA called it a non-event.

Trollip subsequently took over the Public Health portfolio.

Writing to DA leader, Mmusi Maimane, Daniels claims that the PA, like the DA and other opposition parties, is determined not to bring the ANC back in power in the Metro, but he claims that Trollip is misleading the municipality.

“The mayor is really not the person he seems to be, he is deceitful, he is autocratic and it must be his way or the highway," he says, adding that Trollip often makes his own decisions without consulting with anyone.

In the PA's notice of motion, Daniels voices concern about Trollip agreeing to the appointments of City Manager, Johan Mettler, and Human Settlements and Corporate Service boss Vuyo Zitumane. 

"I therefore move that Mr Trollip be removed from his duties with immediate effect as he has disrespected and misled this municipality resulting in law suit," he says.

Daniels wants a new mayor be appointed with immediate effect.

In turn, Bobani has proposed that Council Speaker, Lawack, also be removed accusing him of being biased to the DA, his party, when chairing Council meetings.