A council meeting in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is expected to sit on Monday at the Feather Market Centre in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape for the election of office bearers and the inauguration of the newly-elected councillors.
The meeting was postponed on Friday following a letter from the Co-operative Governance MEC Xolile Nqatha, saying the Acting City Manager Anele Qaba did not have the authority to call and preside over the meeting.
The council meeting is expected to elect a new Mayor, Speaker and Chief Whip as well as establish a government for the Metro.
In the letter, Nqatha says Qaba’s tenure as Acting City Manager expired in October hence he cannot preside over the meeting.
LGE 2021 | NMB Council postponed to Monday due to doubts over Acting City Manager’s role
Qaba disputes the statement but says he will accede to Nqatha’s instructions to maintain good relations between two spheres of government.
It is still unclear whether the two parties with majority seats in the metro, the ANC and the DA, will be able to form a coalition with minority parties.
The EFF, the third biggest party in the council, says it won’t be voting with both parties.
LGE 2021 | Political parties pressed to decide on coalitions as deadline looms: Ongama Mtimka
