After four failed attempts, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro council has finally passed the R12.6 billion operational budget for the 2019/20 financial year. The ruling coalition managed to obtain 61 votes to approve it.
This week also saw a reshuffle in the mayoral committee in attempts to pass the budget, with Mayor Mongameli Bobani appointing Patriotic Alliance councillor, Marlon Daniels as the new MMC of Economic Development.
Daniels says the approval of this budget compliments the mandate of his party.
“It is not a secret that unapologetically we say we put the interests of the people in the northern areas and especially of those people of the coloured community on top of our priority list, for we have been marginalised post 1994 as we are not seen as Africans because if you look at your Z83 form there is no reference made to us. It’s only Africans so we are not regarded as Africans, therefore those things need to be addressed because that is the problem with BEE and those type of issues. So as a party, we stand to redress those issues,” says Daniels.
