Port Elizabeth – Taking the reins as mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Athol Trollip on Thursday vowed to combat corruption and create jobs in the metro the Democratic Alliance wrested from the ANC a fortnight ago.
“The people of Nelson Mandela Bay voted for change. They have endorsed our offer of stopping corruption, growing our economy to create jobs and for better service delivery. This will be the lodestar and mandate of this new multiparty DA-led administration,” Trollip said.
He said the city had rich history of reconciliation and this would again come into play as parties work together in coalition to resolve problems afflicting the metro.
“Our city was the first in the country to establish a Transitional Local Council, prior even to the momentous 1994 election, which saw all councillors, from all parties, sign the one city agreement, some of whom are with us here today and to those who aren’t, we pledge today to continue on the path of reconciliation and nation building that you pioneered all those years ago,” he said.
He said the likes of Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Angelo Dashwood, Nceba Faku and Bobby Stevenson worked together in Port Elizabeth to undo the legacy of apartheid and create a non-racial, unified city.
“After having lost our way and after this election, it is our responsibility to continue this legacy and to set a new standard for better governance and service delivery for all the citizens of this city,” Trollip said.
“It is humbling that in the city named after our iconic [late former] President, Nelson Mandela, that it is now our responsibility to cooperate with other opposition parties in the spirit of reconciliation and redress to deliver good governance to the people of this city.”
Trollip was elected as mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay earlier on Thursday, amid jeering from the African National Congress. The DA took 46.5 percent of votes in the August 3 municipal election, compared to the ANC’s 41 percent, and formed a coalition with the Congress of the People, the African Christian Democratic Party and the United Democratic Movement.
African News Agency