Eastern Cape (CoGTA) MEC, Xolile Nqatha, has appealed to political parties in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality to support the proposed notice of intention to amend Section 12 of the municipality.
In a statement, the MEC on Thursday said the proposed amendment would change the existing type to a collective executive type with ward participatory system.
The intention to amend the existing type was intended to ally political instability and address the non-functionality of the mayoral committee (Mayco).
Political instability
The MEC said the unstable political climate has seeped into the sixth administration, characterised by killings and a slow pace of service delivery.
He said: “This new term is also riddled with instability as politics have spilled over to management to an extent that it has divided management and administration and created factions amongst them.
“The current coalition government has aggravated matters by creating a state of lawlessness and causing severe damage leading to the collapse of administration in the municipality. The Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) see themselves as Mayors in their own right, and they do as they wish in their portfolios relying on the administration (the Executive Directors) to execute all that they want to implement.”
Non-functionality of the mayoral committee (Mayco)
Nqatha said Metro’s Mayco does not sit to consider items that should go to the council.
MAYCO members, he said, do not want to attend meetings that are called by the Executive Mayor.
“Instead they work with Executive Directors directly and want no interference by the Executive Mayor in their departments. There is basically an existence of a split municipality,” he said.
Some Section 80 Committees, he said, had not sat since the beginning of the new term.
He said Municipal Public Accounts Committee had sat only twice since its establishment in January.
“It is worth mentioning that the Council does not sit for the legislated Ordinary Council Meetings but rather considers only compliance matters through Special Council Meetings. This compromises service delivery as matters of departmental performance and service delivery are not tabled to committees and council at large,” said the MEC. “There is generally no oversight that is played by the council over administration.”
The MEC said coalition politics were affecting decision-making within the council “hence the failure to make a decision on the appointment of Executive Directors”.
Nqatha said the situation has had a negative effect on administration and service delivery. “The coalition partners always have conflicting interests because of ideological gulf as a result self-serving interests manifest themselves when decisions that relate to resources are taken. The status quo in the municipality has attracted public concern especially the business fraternity whom the economy of the city depends on.
“Notice of the municipality amended by changing the type of the Municipality from being a Mayoral Executive Type with Ward Participatory System to be a Collective Executive Type with Ward Participatory System so as to have a more inclusive government,” he said.
The MEC on 25 May held a meeting with multiparty whippery.
The Ministry said the MEC used the meeting to urge councillors to prioritise the interest of the people of the metro than their inter and intra political party interests.
“It is in this meeting that he shared his intention for a new model of governance by amending Section 12 Notice,” it said.
The meeting was attended by the ANC, DA, VF+, PA, PAC, GOOD, UDM, DOP, AIC and the NA.
The EFF, AIM and ACDP could not attend the meeting and submitted apologies.
In the same meeting all parties requested the MEC to reduce the intention in writing and he has welcomed the convening of the council to table the notice.
