Port Elizabeth - Hundreds of DA members turned out for a rally in support of embattled Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Athol Trollip who faces a motion of no confidence brought by the EFF.
The rally at the Vuyisile Mini Square brought the DA and its coalition partners together to shore up support for its administration, which has been marred by infighting for months.
The EFF needs the support of all the opposition parties, including the ANC, to make up the 61-vote majority in the council which has 120 seats.
The council meeting at which the motion is to be debated has the potential to break up the fragile coalition between the DA and the Patriotic Alliance.
Provincial Leader Nqaba Bhanga takes the stage.
"Uyalila uJuju" #SaveNMB pic.twitter.com/eiOSIR4mn4
— DA Eastern Cape (@DAEasternCape) March 28, 2018
DA Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga vowed to teach EFF leader Julius Malema a lesson and not allow the firebrand politician to "destroy the city".
Nelson Mandela Bay 🇿🇦💙
"Let us live and strive for Freedom in South Africa, Our Land!" #SaveNMB pic.twitter.com/PBBzUi3cFH
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) March 28, 2018
"Tomorrow, we will meet Julius Malema, and we will defeat him.
We will defeat him because we care about our values and the future of all South Africans." - @nbhanga #SaveNMB pic.twitter.com/Mr5swvIdIo
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) March 28, 2018
Mayor Athol Trollip listed the successes of the DA in the city, emphasising its service delivery record and emphasising the cooperation from its coalition partners.
"The things that brought us together in this coalition were the manifesto promises of stopping corruption, improving service delivery, and creating jobs." - @AtholT #SaveNMB
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) March 28, 2018
"In the recent by-election in Nelson Mandela, the DA went from 85% to 92%.
This is an endorsement of the work we do in Nelson Mandela Bay." - @AtholT #SaveNMB
— DA Eastern Cape (@DAEasternCape) March 28, 2018
Trollip said the increase in votes for the DA from 85% to 92% in the recent by-election was "an endorsement of the work we do in Nelson Mandela Bay."