29-05-2025
Troon's no-confidence motion comes amid fluid political situation
With GOOD councillor Lawrence Troon's notice for a motion of no confidence against Nelson Mandela Bay's political leadership on the agenda for Thursday's council meeting, changes in the coalition and recent deaths of ward councillors could influence the outcome if a vote is held.
The UDM and DOP have joined the coalition, with one party assuming the chair of the public accounts committee and the other taking on the role of political head for economic development, respectively.
This was preceded by the Patriotic Alliance's decision to leave the coalition.
With the death of three ward councillors in the last two months, replacements will join the council after by-elections later in 2025.
The ANC, holding 48 seats, is in a coalition with the EFF (8 seats), National Alliance (3), DOP (2), UDM (1), AIC (1), AIM (1) and PAC (1). This totals 65 seats.
However, one of the National Alliance seats is occupied by Bevan Brown, who has split with a faction and does not attend meetings amid ongoing court battles.
Then, there are two vacancies with the deaths of ANC ward councillors Thembinkosi Maswana and Nosithembiso Mayekiso.
This brings the total to 61.
In the opposition sit the DA (48), ACDP (2), Patriotic Alliance (2), FF+ (2), and GOOD (1). This totals 55 seats.
However, DA ward councillor Johnny Arends also died.
Troon is expected to table his motion to remove mayor Babalwa Lobishe, her deputy Gary van Niekerk, speaker Eugene Johnson and chief whip Wandisile Jikeka.
In the notice, Troon lists almost a dozen allegations for their removal.
This ranges from allegations of poor governance, inability to spend budgets and wasteful expenditure, to failure to make critical appointments and a lack of accountability, among other issues.
'The performance of the municipality under the leadership of the mayor has been poor,' Troon said.
'At midyear, the city was at 29.9% expenditure of the budget.
'Grant funding meant to deliver services to the people is going to be taken back to the national fiscus.'
Troon said Lobishe failed to ensure the filling of critical vacancies which would help boost the delivery of services.
'Why are there so many vacant positions of top management?
'The executive director positions are not filled.
'Allegedly, under the current mayor, we have lost critical officials based on undue political pressure to execute illegal stuff.'
Speaking on behalf of the mayor, deputy mayor, speaker and chief whip, Johnson said councillors had the right to submit motions, which, if deemed valid, would be brought before the council to decide whether they should be debated.
'What matters is whether other parties will support that it should serve before the council.'
Johnson said Troon always had concerns about everything except his party.
'I want his motion to be heard in the next council meeting so it can be thrown out.
'No-one takes him seriously. Other councillors have said this, and it is because of his conduct.'
Troon, when contacted, said if the DA did not support his motion, the party should stop complaining about poor governance.
'Their MPL Retief [Odendaal] goes about talking about how bad things are in the city, now they have an opportunity to remove the current government and all eyes will be on them to see what they will do,' he said.
Troon said he was approached by the ANC to join the coalition and take over as rules and ethics committee chair, but refused.
'They wanted to give me a useless portfolio where I could have earned R50,000 more than what I receive, but I refused because I stand for something, and that is the difference between GOOD and other parties.'
The Herald
