Soccer boss Danny Jordaan is the new Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor. Jordaan replaces Ben Fihla, 83, who the party credited “for bringing some stability in the metro”.
The ANC announced Fihla’s appointment as mayor in March 2013 after recalling then mayor Zamuxolo Wayile.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane yesterday said: “When Oom Ben arrived in this council, there was instability.
“He worked very hard to make these councillors work as a team.
“We want Danny to take up from where he left off, and speed up service delivery in the metro.”
Jordaan will continue with his soccer duties, said Safa national spokesman Dominic Chimhavi.
Other major changes in the Port Elizabeth-based council were the announcement that Bicks Ndoni, a well-known ANC activist, would be deputy mayor and ANC member of parliament Litho Suka would take over as chief whip.
The metro is expected to be hotly contested during the 2016 local government elections.
The ANC secured only 49% of the vote during the 2011 election and the DA has announced it will field party heavyweight Athol Trollip as its mayoral candidate for 2016.
Jordaan’s appointment comes after months of groundwork by ANC national bosses in the area.
President Jacob Zuma and his national executive announced late last year that the NMB ANC regional executive committee (REC) was disbanded.
It was replaced with a task team led by the party stalwart Charles Nqakula.
At the heart of ANC problems in the metro is a dwindling number of members due to infighting. The last straw came when the party lost a by-election in Uitenhage in November to a former ANC activist turned independent – Andile Gqabi.
ANC heavyweights have been coming to the city in an effort to get to the bottom of the challenges facing the party ever since.
Mabuyane said the Jordaan-led team “will have to focus all its energies on improving service delivery in the Nelson Mandela Metro”.
“People want houses. People want to have access to proper sanitation facilities, water and all. We have to lead by example and deliver those basic services in the metro,” said Mabuyane.
Mabuyane said the metro council already had two vacancies.
ANC metro councillor Buyisile Mkavu was shot dead at his KwaNobuhle home in Uitenhage last August and another councillor resigned recently.
“The third space will be created as Oom Ben is also going to resign. We are going to make a submission to the IEC and as soon as the IEC does its part of admitting the three as councillors, Jordaan and his new team will be sworn in immediately thereafter,” said Mabuyane.
The party also plans to shuffle its mayoral committee, Mabuyane revealed yesterday.
He said the party wants a complete overhaul of the NMB Metro council, and reshuffling the mayoral executive was key to making the metro work.
“But the new mayor will be at the centre of those discussions. That is why as the provincial executive committee we will have to wait for him so that he can own up the kind of leaders he wants in his team.
“We want Nelson Mandela Metro to do things with speed,” he added.
Chimhavi said when Jordaan agreed to the mayoral appointment one of the conditions he had asked for was to keep his soccer job.
“He is not the first person this has happened to worldwide because the Madagascar FA President is the Minister of Sport, so there is no contradiction at all.
“He will have an office in PE and another in Johannesburg.”
Jordaan to take on Bay chaos
The ANC announced Fihla’s appointment as mayor in March 2013 after recalling then mayor Zamuxolo Wayile.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane yesterday said: “When Oom Ben arrived in this council, there was instability.
“He worked very hard to make these councillors work as a team.
“We want Danny to take up from where he left off, and speed up service delivery in the metro.”
Jordaan will continue with his soccer duties, said Safa national spokesman Dominic Chimhavi.
Other major changes in the Port Elizabeth-based council were the announcement that Bicks Ndoni, a well-known ANC activist, would be deputy mayor and ANC member of parliament Litho Suka would take over as chief whip.
The metro is expected to be hotly contested during the 2016 local government elections.
The ANC secured only 49% of the vote during the 2011 election and the DA has announced it will field party heavyweight Athol Trollip as its mayoral candidate for 2016.
Jordaan’s appointment comes after months of groundwork by ANC national bosses in the area.
President Jacob Zuma and his national executive announced late last year that the NMB ANC regional executive committee (REC) was disbanded.
It was replaced with a task team led by the party stalwart Charles Nqakula.
At the heart of ANC problems in the metro is a dwindling number of members due to infighting. The last straw came when the party lost a by-election in Uitenhage in November to a former ANC activist turned independent – Andile Gqabi.
ANC heavyweights have been coming to the city in an effort to get to the bottom of the challenges facing the party ever since.
Mabuyane said the Jordaan-led team “will have to focus all its energies on improving service delivery in the Nelson Mandela Metro”.
“People want houses. People want to have access to proper sanitation facilities, water and all. We have to lead by example and deliver those basic services in the metro,” said Mabuyane.
Mabuyane said the metro council already had two vacancies.
ANC metro councillor Buyisile Mkavu was shot dead at his KwaNobuhle home in Uitenhage last August and another councillor resigned recently.
“The third space will be created as Oom Ben is also going to resign. We are going to make a submission to the IEC and as soon as the IEC does its part of admitting the three as councillors, Jordaan and his new team will be sworn in immediately thereafter,” said Mabuyane.
The party also plans to shuffle its mayoral committee, Mabuyane revealed yesterday.
He said the party wants a complete overhaul of the NMB Metro council, and reshuffling the mayoral executive was key to making the metro work.
“But the new mayor will be at the centre of those discussions. That is why as the provincial executive committee we will have to wait for him so that he can own up the kind of leaders he wants in his team.
“We want Nelson Mandela Metro to do things with speed,” he added.
Chimhavi said when Jordaan agreed to the mayoral appointment one of the conditions he had asked for was to keep his soccer job.
“He is not the first person this has happened to worldwide because the Madagascar FA President is the Minister of Sport, so there is no contradiction at all.
“He will have an office in PE and another in Johannesburg.”
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