Nqaba Bhanga has been elected as mayor for the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro yet again, after a re-run of voting. The court ordered a special sitting after finding that his first election had been invalid.
Bhanga met with the media on Friday morning to express his gratitude for those who voted for him and announced his plans for the metro.
His first order of business is to deal with those who used municipal funds to further a political dispute. He made an example of the Speaker of council Buyelwa Mafaya, saying he is determined to make her pay back all the wasted taxpayers’ money.
“I am doing that to teach myself, to teach the next speaker who is going to come, and any other politician, that instilling and using and misusing your power has consequences. Those who come after you, if you have broken the law, we will use the law to teach you.”
Bhanga was first elected during a protracted council meeting last year in December, where Patriotic Alliance councillor Marlon Daniels presided over the election, after Speaker Buyelwa Mafaya was allegedly kidnapped by unknown men during the council meeting.
Bhanga said, “The Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay is Nqaba Bhanga, they must just drink it and love it. Because he’s going to be here, Nqaba Bhanga is here in the City Hall, Nqaba Bhanga is running the city as an Executive Mayor.”
BREAKING:Nqaba Bhanga’s election as new mayor of Nelson Mandela Metro has been delcared as unlawful,null and void.Below is a correspondence by MEC of Cogta Xolile Nqatha stating this. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/FBETEaEwvE
— Lerato Fekisi (@LThipa) December 8, 2020
