Athol Trollip survives another attempt to remove him as mayor

The Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting on Thursday morning was over before it even really started.
The Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting on Thursday morning was over before it even really started.
Image: Nomazima Nkosi

Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip survived yet another attempt to remove him after opposition party councillors walked out of the chamber on Thursday.

Less than 30 minutes into the council meeting the opposition complained agendas had been delivered late and not within the prescribed five working days.

The councillors argued this meant the meeting was illegal and when their motions succeed Trollip would take them to court.

UF councilllor Mkhuseli Mtsila said his agenda was delivered on Wednesday last week and Thursday was a holiday.

"An agenda of council is supposed to be delivered in five working days. The delivery does not meet council rule 12.3 in terms of delivery of agendas," Mtsila said.

"An agenda of council is supposed to be delivered in five working days. The delivery does not meet council rule 12.3 in terms of delivery of agendas," Mtsila said.

Speaker Jonathan Lawack explained the late delivery of agendas had been a result of a break down with the printers.

"The agenda was probably delivered late to some of the councillors, on the day of printing our printing machines broke down and printing had to be outsourced to a private printing company" Lawack said.

"I have been a councillor for nine years and during the tenure of the ANC agendas were often delivered late but today its an excuse for meetings not to go ahead, deceiving the people of the metro." 

The opposition councillors had planned to remove mayor Athol Trollip, Lawack and chief whip Werner Senekal through no-confidence motions.

The Patriotic Alliance, which first said it would support the bid to remove them and install a new coalition government, backed out at the last minute on Wednesday due to its ongoing impasse with the EFF.

At a press briefing the PA's Marlon Daniels apologised for what had transpired.

"We revisited our decision and we are where we are today. We apologise to each citizen for the meeting not being able to quorate. Had the PA given support to the opposition we would have mayhem right now.

"We were insulted and we won't give our support to the opposition today, tomorrow or ever again," Daniels said.

Lawack said he would announce a date for the next meeting to discuss the agenda in due time.

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