Long-serving Bay councillor Joy Seale among those who miss cut
THREE members of mayor Danny Jordaan’s executive failed to drum up enough support to make it onto the ANC’s Nelson Mandela Bay councillor candidates list. While it is not cast in stone that they will not return after the August 3 elections, mayoral committee councillors Joy Seale, Babalwa Lobishe and Andiswa Mama did not get the required votes to make the cut.
From a list of 219 nominees, 51 qualified to be on the proportional representation list. An additional nine nominees were chosen to fill up the remaining spaces to make up the 60 names.
The list will undergo intense scrutiny in the upcoming weeks before it is finalised and rubber-stamped by the ANC’s national bosses.
The party’s 60 ward councillor candidates are chosen through public meetings.
Five insiders said those with links to the former ANC regional executive committee were “completely annihilated” at Saturday’s regional list conference.
“They couldn’t even meet the threshold of 66 or 67 votes.
“It was clear that the branches are tired of that old [former regional secretary Zandisile] Qupe crew,” one branch member said.
Another branch leader said Seale, Lobishe and Mama did not get the required threshold vote.
“There were only a few councillors who actually made the list.
“All those who are with the Qupe faction didn’t make it.
“[Mayoral committee member Fikile] Desi just made the threshold. He just survived,” the person said.
The insiders said some of the surprise additions to the list who could join the council after the elections were former National Youth Development Agency head Andile Lungisa, Bay businessman Mike Xego and former council speaker Nohle Mohapi.
Their nominations are said to have received a lot of support from branches.
Meanwhile, Mama confirmed she was aware that she did not make the PR list.
Seale said: “I wasn’t part of anything and the ANC hasn’t pronounced on anything.” Lobishe declined to comment. Seale is the political head of public health, Lobishe the head of transport, and Mama the portfolio head of sports, recreation, arts and culture.
Seale has been a councillor for at least 10 years, while Lobishe joined the council in 2011 and Mama in 2013.
ANC regional task team (RTT) coordinator Beza Ntshona said yesterday that the party’s regional list committee (RLC) would sift through the names on the list this week to ensure it ticks all its boxes to comply with the party’s policy on continuity, gender representation and geographic spread.
“In terms of the guidelines, there is supposed to be 60% continuity, which is 60% of councillors who are currently in the council,” Ntshona said.
“Once the order of the list is done, we have to consult the RTT and the components of the alliance, and then if we’re in agreement, we hope to submit the report to the province by Friday.
“The provincial list committee will look at the list and tell us if they identify gaps.”
Ntshona said it was possible for those who did not make the cut at the weekend to be included on the final list.
“Our focus as the RLC will be mainly on the 219 names submitted. There is still a lot that needs to be done on the list.”