Derrick Spies / News24
Derrick Spies / News24
The Nelson Mandela Bay council has been anything but diplomatic during their gathering on Thursday. After the vote of no confidence against Athol Trollip was cancelled, the house descended into chaos.
Argy-bargy and shouting matches were the order of the day, and the ill-spirit spread through the chamber like wildfire. Speaker Jonathan Lawack was left with very little choice but to suspend proceedings.
Who is Mongameli Bobani?
Certainly, there was no love lost between Athol Trollip and Mongameli Bobani. In September 2017, Bobani served as the deputy mayor under Trollip. The DA, however, initiated a motion of no confidence against the former.
The deputy is a member of the UDM party, and they were elected to form a coalition government with the DA. However, the motion saw their relationship deteriorate terribly and undermined the political stability of the region.
Why was Mongameli Bobani voted out in NMB?
Bobani was ousted by the UDM’s coalition partners after he refused to back the DA in a number of crucial votes. Instead, he’s frequently crossed the political divide and voted with the ANC. After one opposing vote too many, Trollip and his team issued the motion and Bobani was forced to leave office.
So now, we’re at this stage. Athol Trollip is facing his own personal motion of no confidence – a second in four months – and it seems like Mongameli Bobani is enjoying every second of his misery.
In a video captured by News24 journalist Derrick Spies, Bobani can be seen confronting Trollip, singing and dancing in front of him. Trollip refuses his offer of a handshake, as the former deputy mayor continues to rouse the chanting EFF members:
Bobani goes to front of council and taunts Trollip. Gesturing and asking him to shake hands. Trollip refuses. #NMBCouncilVote #TrollipVote (@DerrickSpies) pic.twitter.com/CtlV4xtyRT
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) March 29, 2018
Who is supporting Athol Trollip?
With the vote being postponed for now, Trollip gets to remain in his position over the Easter weekend. But when the issue returns to Nelson Mandela Bay council, the vote is going to be extremely close.
The ANC, EFF and UDM all support the motion of no confidence. That gives them 58 votes in total, of a house with 120 seats. They’d need to get three extra votes from nominal parties to throw the vote their way.
The DA holds 57 seats, and are supported by both Cope, Patriotic Alliance and African Independent Congress. This does take them to 60, but they remain one seat short of a majority unless either one of the United Front of the Eastern Cape or African Christian Democratic Party offers their backing.
