New COGTA MEC, Zolile Williams, has missed a golden opportunity to serve the people of Nelson Mandela Bay and bring stability back to the Metro, by choosing to put the interests of his party over those of the people.
Instead of lambasting his own party councillors for their abhorrent behaviour on the day, the new COGTA MEC chose to classify a democratic process as “worrisome”.
What appears to be worrisome to MEC Williams is not that the change in political leadership will cause further instability, it is the loss of political power by his ANC comrades.
Why did he not condemn the onslaught on democracy by ANC councillors, when they destroyed a ballot box, the very symbol of the democratic process?
If MEC Williams is truly interested in seeing stability returning to Nelson Mandela Bay, why has he failed to act against ANC councillors, who have been abusing state resources with frivolous lawsuits for months in a desperate attempt to cling to power?
Why have we not seen the same zeal from him to intervene in Buffalo City, where the mayor has admitted the city is bankrupt and all capital projects have been stopped?
Through his remarks, MEC Williams has made it clear that he is just another ANC deployed cadre, willing to toe the party line and do whatever it takes to cling to power in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The Section 12 notice that MEC Williams touts as “the only solution”, is the standard practice of the ANC. When the rules they must work under no longer favour them, they simply change the rules!
Was there any consultation with the newly elected government to determine what their plans are to bring stability back to the Metro and turn the city’s fortunes around?
We have seen similar actions taken by the ANC provincial government in the Eastern Cape, whereby failing ANC local municipalities have been merged with successful ones, supposedly to bring stability and improve service delivery.
MEC Williams would do well to recall that former MEC Nqatha admitted in Parliament that the creation of the Raymond Mhlaba, Walter Sisulu, Enoch Mgijima and Dr Beyers Naudé municipalities, were a disaster. Those successful municipalities were pillaged and brought to ruin!
The truth is the people of Nelson Mandela Bay do not care about the politics, they care about service delivery. They want water in their taps, reliable electricity and roads they can actually drive on. They don’t want sewage flowing through their homes, or mountains of refuse piling up on street corners.
These are the basics, which MEC Williams’s own party has proven woefully incapable of providing.
The DA is confident that the newly elected coalition, led by the Executive mayor, Retief Odendaal, is more than capable of getting Nelson Mandela Bay working again. MEC Williams would be remiss not to give them the chance to do so.
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