Africa-Press – South-Africa. Another DA mayor, Retief Odendaal, has been removed – this time on Friday through the EFF and ANC alliance in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
Odendaal was removed through a motion of no confidence by 62 votes.
The motion of no confidence was brought before the council by the EFF during a special council meeting. It was supported by the Northern Alliance, Patriotic Alliance, and the ANC.
The EFF brought a motion against Odendaal because they said he had failed to act against his deputy mayor, Mkhuseli Jack after the Auditor-General had found that companies belonging to Jack did business with the municipality.
However, the AG later cleared Jack of any wrongdoing. Jack had unsuccessfully attempted to have the court halt the special sitting.
On Friday, the meeting was meant to have started at 10:00, but it was moved to noon to wait for the court ruling.
It later reconvened at 13:00.
But it took about two hours before the day’s business could start as DA councillors raised frivolous points of order, seemingly not wanting the meeting to continue.
Eventually, the vote went ahead.
After Odendaal was removed as mayor, nominations were opened for his replacement.
There were two names nominated: Odendaal and speaker Gary van Niekerk; they both accepted the nominations.
After accepting the nomination to be voted in as new mayor, Van Niekerk, from the Northern Alliance, read out his resignation with “immediate effect” as speaker.
Nominations were also opened for a new speaker and two names were raised – ANC former mayor Eugene Johnson and the DA’s Rano Kayser. The two candidates accepted the nomination.
The election for a new mayor and speaker is under way.
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