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Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in a dysfunctional state: Business Chamber

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The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality without a permanent Executive Mayor is in a dysfunctional state. This is the view of the Metro’s Business Chamber. It has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in filling the vacancy.

The Chamber says without a mayor, the municipality is unable to table the draft budget. Treasury has also threatened to withhold the municipality’s equitable share.

The chamber says the state of the municipality makes it difficult to do business.

“We are alarmed with the decaying infrastructure in this bay, we cannot create jobs, we cannot attract investors if we do not have an enabling environment to do so. Currently Nelson Mandela bay is not an enabling environment for business, says NMB Business Chamber President, Andrew Muir.

Deputy Mayor Tshonono Buyeye has been acting as interim mayor. The African National Congress (ANC) in the region which is part of the coalition government says it’s also concerned.

“We are also guided by the understanding that in the absence of a mayor, the act does provide that the deputy is to assume full responsibility in the absence of a mayor. Currently, that is what is happening in the city. There is no mayor but there is an interim mayor in the form of the deputy executive mayor who was elected by council,” says  NMB ANC RTT coordinator, Luyolo Nqakula.

Former mayor Mongameli Bobani hopes to return to the position following fresh talks.

“The UDM has opened the doors between the ANC and the DA. The national office of the UDM led by general Bantu Holomisa, our president, they are dealing with that matter. We are the deployees on our side we will take a cue from them,” says Bobani.

In the video below, Bobani is removed as Nelson Mandela Bay Metro:

The municipality has been without a permanent mayor since December.

The DA together with the UDM, ACDP and cope have petitioned the speaker Buyelwa Mafaya for a special council meeting to elect a new mayor on the 25th of this month. Other items the parties want to be debated in the special council meeting are the removal and the replacement of the speaker, the Chief Whip and the deputy mayor. Speaker Mafaya is yet to reply to the petition.”

Kim Daniels reports about wastewater that runs into estuaries within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro:

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