The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Nelson Mandela Bay has reaffirmed our commitment to remain the strong, principled anchor of a robust opposition in the NMB Council, after Gary van Nierkerk resigned as mayor.
We welcome that at today’s council meeting, Van Niekerk’s chaotic and destructive mayoral tenure came to an end when he resigned from his position, and note the election of the ANC’s Babalwa Lobishe as the new mayor. We urge Mayor Lobishe to focus on service delivery and put the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay first.
Van Niekerk and the destructive coalition government he led caused untold suffering, leaving residents to deal with economic collapse, exorbitant water tariffs, numerous water leaks, dark streets, potholes, sewage spills, flood devastation, and an ever-escalating crime rate.
The DA did not put forward a candidate for the position of mayor as we do not have a coalition agreement with any party in the Council. Without an agreement, chaos and instability will always ensue – and there is no better example of this than the Metro’s current ANC/EFF/PA/NA coalition of breakers government.
The DA offered the ANC an opportunity to establish a bi-partisan coalition on the basis that in NMB, multiparty coalitions have not delivered sustainable delivery, good governance and stability. The ANC declined our offer in favour of the status quo.
The ANC provincial leadership has conceded that the current coalition government has failed to deliver services to the people of Nelson Mandela Bay. Simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic will not halt the Metro’s further decline.
Despite this, we reaffirm our commitment to the bi-partisan deal we offered the ANC for the sake of the well-being of the residents of NMB.
The DA remains in your corner, fighting for you. Together, we can take Nelson Mandela Bay forward again