The ANC’s regional working committee in Nelson Mandela Bay has drawn a firm line in support of deputy mayor and National Alliance (NA) councillor Gary van Niekerk.
According to insiders, the RWC met on Monday and told the party’s councillors that should they support a motion of no confidence in Van Niekerk, they would face disciplinary action.
The motion was submitted on Thursday by ANC councillor Luyanda Lawu and seconded by Thembinkosi Mafana, also an ANC member.
Earlier in July, Van Niekerk had launched a blistering attack on his boss, mayor Babalwa Lobishe, accusing her of sabotaging service delivery and blocking initiatives to improve matters in the metro.
He described Lobishe as the biggest stumbling block to the coalition governing the city.
An ANC insider said on Tuesday that the RWC had rejected Lawu’s motion.
“Last night, the RWC said this motion does not belong to the ANC but certain councillors for their own reasons.
“We were told that those who support the motion would either be expelled or face disciplinary action.”
Another insider said ANC caucus members asked on whose behalf the motion had been submitted, as it had never been discussed with them.
Undeterred by the threats, Lawu questioned during Tuesday’s council meeting why the motion had not been included on the agenda, despite earlier assurances that it would be.
He also asked whether the motion would be entertained, but speaker Eugene Johnson said it would not.
When asked why, Johnson said the motion would only mature on July 26, after the expiry of the required 10-day notice period.
Lawu then said he wanted confirmation that the motion would be included in the August 6 meeting.
“I need confirmation, speaker.”
Johnson said: “No, I can’t confirm.”
In his motion, Lawu cited Van Niekerk’s ongoing cyber fraud case as one of the reasons he should be removed.
Van Niekerk’s case centres on his appointment of Boqwana Burns Incorporated back in 2022 to handle various legal matters at a cost of R575,000.
His position as speaker of the council at the time was uncertain because suspended city manager Noxolo Nqwazi had declared vacancies in the council held by the NA.
It is further alleged that Boqwana Burns was not on the municipality’s list of approved legal service providers and that by appointing them, Van Niekerk had attempted to circumvent the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Commenting after the council meeting, Van Niekerk said Lawu’s motion was incompetent.
“I haven’t lost any sleep about it,” he said.
“I’ve always said my fight is not with the ANC but the mayor for the lack of basic services delivered to our people.”
Van Niekerk, who sat at the back of the council chamber rather than alongside Lobishe, said he had done so because she had allegedly instructed municipal officials not to carry out any directives he issued.
“Last week Wednesday in the mayoral committee, the mayor issued in front of all the other [political heads], in front of all the EDs [executive directors], that no ED must take an instruction from me.
“They mustn’t even take my calls.
“So what am I? I’m now a deputy mayor that’s been made redundant.
“That’s why I refused to sit next to the mayor.
“That’s why the council meeting was so short.
“We never had a GLU [government of local unity] before this.
“We’re to meet [today] to discuss pertinent issues, especially the [suspended] city manager.
“There’s a lot that needs to be discussed.
“On behalf of my party, they’ve given me a mandate that we cannot continue like this.”
Van Niekerk claimed the motion against him had been submitted by rogue ANC councillors.
“That’s why the motion was never going to get the support it needed to remove me.
“It makes no sense removing us as the NA because they are collapsing the [coalition] government themselves.
“I don’t know if councillor Lawu is good at mathematics, but removing the NA pushes you below the threshold to govern.
“If you remove the NA, they are collapsing the government.
“You can’t expect the NA to remain in government when they are removing us from government.
“These are rogue councillors doing their own thing.
“Some of them see the opportunity that there’s no PEC [ANC provincial executive committee] currently and therefore [they are] left to their own devices,” Van Niekerk said.
The ruling coalition includes the ANC (47 seats), EFF (7), DOP (2) and NA (3), with the AIC and PAC having a seat each, totalling 62 seats in the 120-person council.
The EFF has a total of eight PR seats. However, it was announced during the meeting that councillor Zanele Sikawuti had died on Monday night.
The coalition often receives support from the UDM’s lone councillor.
The opposition consists of the DA (48), ACDP (2), FF+ (2), PA (2), and AIM and GOOD, with one seat each.
Responding to claims that she ordered officials not to implement any instructions issued by Van Niekerk, Lobishe said she had asked the deputy mayor on multiple occasions to present reports on the portfolio he was responsible for without much success.
“We’ve been waiting for him for a year. He’s not been submitting reports.
“He has failed to submit reports on the functions delegated to him.
“International relations is with him.
“He was supposed to hold a workshop for the institution for us to identify destinations linked to our vision and mission. He’s failed to do so,” she said.
Lobishe rejected claims that she had stripped Van Niekerk of his functions, saying she continued to recognise him as her deputy.
However, she could still prepare an item to council to have them removed.
“He’s failing to discharge his functions which are delegated to him.
“We’ve not stripped him of any functions.
“He’s still responsible for the MBDA, which he has not reported to council.
“He’s sat in several meetings with the MBDA but failed to apprise council.
“I wrote to him several times to say ‘give us a report and can we meet with the development agency’, which he’s failed to do,” Lobishe said.
Though Johnson did not confirm that the no-confidence motion would be tabled at the next council meeting, Lawu said he had received confirmation from her office that it had been received.
“On August 6, the motion will be in front of the council. We’re continuing with it because it is a very important matter.”
Lawu said he did not submit the motion on behalf of the ANC, but solely as a councillor.
“Hence I said this is enough now, we can’t be looking as if all is well because everything that relates to corruption will be blamed on the ANC,” Lawu said.
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