The Abantu Integrity Movement (AIM) has given Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe 48 hours to resign.
Should she fail to act, AIM says it will petition co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to place the metro under administration in terms of Section 139 of the constitution.
The threat of Section 139 is not new to the city, and before being axed as a member of the mayoral committee, Khusta Jack was part of a meeting in which Eastern Cape co-operative governance MEC Zolile Williams placed that option on the table.
Jack, who has been vocal against Lobishe since departing the coalition, accused the mayor of having failed by all metrics to lead the metro out of the worst service delivery crisis it had experienced in many years.
“If the mayor should decide not to heed our call to resign, then AIM will be left with no option but to petition the minister to invoke Section 139 of the constitution and place the metro under administration with immediate effect.
“On Lobishe’s watch, the municipality is collapsing rapidly at both administrative and political levels.”
Jack cited the public fallout between Lobishe and deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk as evidence of dysfunctional leadership, describing their reported dispute over photographs on municipal communication material as “political vanity”.
“Her current ugly public spat with her deputy Gary van Niekerk is the last straw.
“It is unbecoming of the leadership of the largest municipality in the province that the mayor and her deputy are not on speaking terms because they are quarrelling over whose photo should be on which municipal communication and marketing materials.
“Such silly political vanity cannot be tolerated at a time when most traffic and streetlights are not working, raw sewage flowing down potholed roads has become a common sight, and residents are burning tyres in the streets protesting against almost daily power outages,” he said.
Both Van Niekerk and Lobishe will face motions of no confidence during an August 6 council meeting.
GOOD councillor Lawrence Troon submitted the motion against Lobishe.
ANC councillor Luyanda Lawu submitted the motion against Van Niekerk.
Earlier in March, Troon previously tried to remove Lobishe through a no-confidence motion but failed when the majority of councillors voted against it.
In his July motion, seconded by FF+ councillor Bill Harington, Troon accused Lobishe of failing to provide the decisive leadership required to address deteriorating service delivery.
“Under her leadership, residents have endured recurring electricity outages that continue to disrupt households, businesses, healthcare services and economic activity, with no credible or sustainable intervention being implemented.
“The metro continues to experience recurring water interruptions and prolonged water supply challenges, severely affecting communities and undermining residents’ constitutional rights to access basic services,” Troon wrote.
Lobishe did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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