Port Elizabeth - Newly elected Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Athol Trollip says that an anti-corruption hotline will be operationalised and will not merely be a “telephone call to nowhere”.
Trollip was speaking at a council meeting on Wednesday where he unveiled the Democratic Alliance-led council’s priorities for its first 100 days in office.
Proceedings were conducted under the new speaker, also of the DA, Jonathan Lawack.
At one point Lawack was accused of alleged bias by African National Congress councillors in the opposition benches who asked the speaker to remain impartial.
However, Lawack refuted the sentiments and said that he would not allow chaos to ensue as he was “trying to be fair to all”.
He requested ANC members to respect council rules.
Leader of the ANC, deposed mayor Danny Jordaan was not present at the council meeting and was cited as being ill.
Putting anti-corruption measures at the centre, Trollip said that an anti-corruption hotline would be a telephone call to response and accountability.
“We will adopt a different attitude to accepting factors of using deviation in this municipality which is a corruption loophole. Deviations are necessary but they cannot be standard practice and should only be used in exceptional circumstances,” said Trollip
Long outstanding disciplinary matters and forensic reports, including the failed IPTS (Integrated Public Transport System) audit is also expected to be presented before council in the next 100 days.
In response to the mayor’s address, ANC deputy party leader Bicks Ndoni said that Trollip had but no other option than to recognise the work done by the ANC within the last year.
“We all understand the challenges this city faces. Thirty-six wards are facing under development and I am discouraged to hear you not emphasising the needs of those wards…our work is to ensure there is service in those 36 wards. The majority of the youth are unemployed, our strategy should be towards the talent of the youth,” said Ndoni.
Of the 60 wards in Nelson Mandela Bay, 36 were won by ANC. However, the DA polled 46.71 percent of the vote, and together with the smaller parties formed a coalition to oust the ANC from power in the metro. The ANC only managed 40.92 percent in the vote.
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ Yoliswa Yako said the red berets would be watching the mayor closely, as well as the DA-led administration.
Yako said that the EFF wanted to see the council budget cater for areas such as Joe Slovo, Kwazakhele, Westville and Kwanobhule amongst others.
She also took the opportunity to slam Trollip for a “lack of diversity”, saying that his mayoral committee represented a white majority.
Meanwhile, disgruntled members of Congress of the People (Cope) in the metro protested outside the Woolboard Exchange council chambers for most of the sitting.
Cope only has one seat on the 120-member council.
Siyasanga Sijadu was at the top of Cope’s candidate’s list, however, party spokesperson Thembelani Kondile said that Cope in Nelson Mandela Bay no longer recognised her.
He said Cope wanted to see the seat filled by the party’s regional chairperson, Khwezi Ntshanyana.
“We are raising our dissatisfaction by the manner in which we have been treated by Cope NEC and Cope national spokesperson. We had a mayoral candidate [Ntshanyana] was introduced to us, we were so surprised to hear that Siyasanga without consulting anybody put her name upfront as the only candidate. We have made attempts to call her after elections. Cope’s one seat is now being filled fraudulently by Siyasanga Sijadu,” said Kondile.
African News Agency