The Port Elizabeth High Court will on Thursday hand down judgment in the application filed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro challenging the legality of the council meeting that ousted Athol Trollip as the Executive Mayor.
The DA is arguing that the presence of expelled DA Councillor Mbulelo Manyathi in the meeting meant there was no quorum as his membership was terminated.
Manyathi abstained during voting and led to the ousting of council speaker Jonathan Lawack.
A new coalition government made up of African National Congress (ANC), United Democratic Movement (UDM), and African Independent Congress (AIC) with the voting support of Economic Freedom Fighters and Patriotic Alliance is currently in charge of the administration.
The DA and coalition partners, Congress of the People (COPE), as well as African Christian Democratic Party want the court to declare the decision by provincial Cooperative Governance MEC Fikile Xasa to send an official from his office, to preside over this meeting after City Manager Johann Mettler walked out of the meeting, unlawful.
The party is also challenging the process followed in electing new speaker ANC’s Buyelwa Mafaya and the meeting declared illegal. They also want any decision taken in the rowdy council meeting nullified and reversed.
Trollip has been replaced by UDM’s Mongameli Bobani as the Executive Mayor. Author- Mcebisi Ngqina
