Former Deputy Minister of Finance Mcebisi Jonas on Tuesday said he is yet to hear from the African National Congress (ANC) following the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) suggestions that he take over as Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor.
“I am a member of the ANC. I will do whatever the ANC tells me to do. There has been no communication from the ANC. So, I cannot comment on the issue,” Jonas said on the sidelines of the launch of Anti-Racism Week in Johannesburg.
The EFF announced it would table a motion of no confidence in incumbent Democratic Alliance (DA) Mayor Athol Trollip at the Nelson Mandela Bay council in April, to essentially punish the DA for opposing the land expropriation without compensation motion in Parliament.”
The EFF had until recently voted with the DA against the ANC at coalition municipalities and helped the DA to take power at three key metros after the 2016 local government elections.
Earlier, EFF leader Julius Malema said Jonas was “untainted” after he refused to take a hefty amount of cash as a bribe by the fugitive Gupta family.
The governing ANC welcomed the EFF’s dramatic move, and said it was ready for talks with the red berets.
Soccer boss Danny Jordaan was the last ANC mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay before Trollip. He was deployed by the ANC to Nelson Mandela Bay in June 2015 to serve as mayor after the Regional Executive Committee disbanded in January the same year.
However, Jordaan became a no show and stopped attending council meetings after the election of the DA-led council. He then tendered his resignation from the council.
Jonas said problems facing the country’s municipalities were not only political.
“It’s also about the mix of skills needed in a municipality. This notion of thinking that bringing one person in resolves everything is wrong. It’s an incorrect way of approaching problems but I cannot specifically comment on the Nelson Mandela issue because it is the ANC that can speak on that, not me.”
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