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The Herald
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
How the ANC lost Nelson Mandela Bay municipality
The ANC's downfall in Nelson Mandela Bay can be traced as far back as 2009. By then, the golden era of Nceba Faku's mayorship had faded and his legacy, once influential, was increasingly tainted by allegations of corruption. Alongside then-ANC regional secretary Zandisile Qupe, Faku turned on former mayor Nondumiso Maphazi, who had resisted political interference from Standard House (later Florence Matomela House). Maphazi's refusal to toe the line triggered a targeted campaign against her. At the centre of the controversy was municipal manager Graham Richards, suspended by the council on what Maphazi described as frivolous charges. This was widely seen as a strategic move to clear the way for political control of the city's administration. Enter Elias Ntoba, a virtually unknown figure parachuted in from the Northern Cape, appointed as acting municipal manager. His tenure marked the start of an exodus of respected senior managers, who left in droves, unwilling to work under increasing political pressure. Ntoba wasted no time consolidating control. He removed CFO Kevin Jacoby as chair of the bid adjudication committee and replaced him with Sithembele Vatala, head of the integrated development plan unit. He also placed communications director Roland Williams in charge of the tender evaluation committee. Both men were close allies of Faku and their appointments were widely viewed as a deliberate effort to secure ANC influence over municipal tenders. With Maphazi removed and Zanoxolo Wayile installed as mayor in November 2009, many believed the gates of patronage had fully opened. But Wayile proved unexpectedly independent, defending the role of a strong, non-partisan city administration. His tenure, however, was marked by fierce infighting within the ANC caucus, which saw him, deputy mayor Nancy Sihlwayi and speaker Maria Hermans as obstacles. In 2013, they were removed and 81-year-old Ben Fihla was brought in as a pliable replacement. It was during Fihla's tenure that corruption surged. Funds meant for the Integrated Public Transport System were shamelessly looted. The cases linked to that period are still before the courts today. Fihla, seen largely as a figurehead, followed the lead of his deputy Chippa Ngcolomba and regional secretary Qupe. Even the high-profile appointment of Danny Jordaan in 2015 couldn't reverse the rot in time for the 2016 local government elections. Jordaan, alongside acting city manager Johann Mettler, brought a measure of administrative competence and direction. But it was too little, too late. The damage had been done. The ANC's grip on the metro slipped and, in 2016, it lost the municipality for the first time since the first democratic municipal elections in 1995. That election redrew SA's political map and Nelson Mandela Bay was no exception. Like Ekurhuleni and the City of Joburg, the metro was thrust into the era of coalition politics. Key political figures emerged, including former DA MP-turned-ActionSA member Athol Trollip, ex-COPE MP-turned-DA leader Nqaba Bhanga and former ANC MP Litho Suka. But it was the UDM's Mongameli Bobani who embodied the chaos to come. With just two seats, Bobani rose from councillor to mayor, leveraging his 'kingmaker' status while outmanoeuvring opponents. Bobani and Trollip became bitter rivals, clashing on nearly every issue. Bobani, who died during the Covid-19 pandemic, was linked to serious allegations of multimillion-rand money laundering.
The Herald
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald
The heady days of The Herald's most successful era
Message from Ric Wilson, editor-in-chief of the Eastern Province Herald from 1993 to 2004 I was fortunate to be the editor of the Eastern Province Herald in 1995 when we celebrated the paper ' s 150th anniversary. Which we did in great style at the newly refurbished Feather Market Hall with a banquet for the city ' s VIPs, and later a civic reception attended by President Nelson Mandela and hosted by mayor Nceba Faku, who years before and in years to come would call for the paper to be burned or boycotted. Such is the fluctuation of fortunes in the newspaper world — a world that has changed beyond recognition with modern technology. I was also fortunate to be editor of The Herald during its most successful era, selling on average between 30,000 and 40,000 papers a day, compared with today's 10,000. It was also a challenging era of political and social change, during which we at The Herald pioneered transformation in the newspaper industry by forming, in 1996, SA ' s first black empowerment partnership in a new company, Times Media Eastern Cape, 30% owned by local black businessmen. It was ironically a process that culminated with my own 'transformation' in 2004 when I made way for the paper ' s first black editor. I was fortunate too as editor of SA ' s oldest daily newspaper to cover some of the big events that shook the world. The attack of 9/11 in 2001 is the obvious one, but surprisingly it didn ' t sell as many papers as the death in 1997 of Princess Diana, which was The Herald's biggest ever sale, more than 60,000 copies the next day. Another landmark occasion was the 1995 Royal Tour. Mayor Faku and I were unlikely allies in working behind the scenes to make that happen, ensuring that PE and not East London, favoured by a powerful ANC faction, was nominated by the government to be the Eastern Cape host to Queen Elizabeth. Back then The Herald (along with the Evening Post and Weekend Post before they closed) was printed in the basement of the former Newspaper House in Baakens Street. Two editions of the Herald were printed by presses which thundered through the night, shaking the building and spewing out thousands of papers that were loaded onto a fleet of waiting trucks and delivered up and down the coast from Knysna to Port Alfred and deep into the Eastern Cape to the Free State border. There were more than 40 journalists on The Herald alone and a further 30 or more on the two Posts, plus scores of admin, advertising and printing staff, so it was a busy building back in the day. Now abandoned and derelict awaiting an uncertain future. The internet revolution and the explosion of social media have been a calamity for newspapers worldwide and they ' ve had to adapt to survive. So we find The Herald today a shadow of its former self, an editorial staff of 24, many of whom work remotely from home, with a rented office HQ in The Atrium at Greenacres, printed by contract at a press outside the city, and with a daily sale of 10,000 newspapers. But with a feisty online website which gives hope for the paper ' s future. The Herald
