Mongameli Bobani

PR councillor and caucus leadership

Bobani has been an proportional representation councillor for the United Democratic Movement since 2002. He is the leader of the United Democratic Movement's caucus in the Nelson Mandela Bay council. Under his leadership, the UDM gained Ward 30 from the African National Congress in a by-election that took place in 2015. The party later lost the ward in the 2016 municipal elections.

Mayoral candidacy

In 2016, the UDM announced that Bobani would be the party's mayoral candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in the upcoming 2016 municipal elections.

His main focus points were job creation, service delivery and eradicating corruption.

He announced that the party would be targeting 40 wards. The party later won no wards, but earned 1.9% of the vote giving them two seats on the council.^[4]

Coalition with the Democratic Alliance

After the 2016 municipal elections, no party had received an outright majority on the Nelson Mandela Bay council. The Democratic Alliance was the largest party with 57 seats, four seats short of a necessary majority of 61 seats.

The Democratic Alliance announced that they would enter a coalition with the United Democratic Movement, Congress of the People and African Christian Democratic Party, giving them an effective majority of 61 seats on the council. The UDM later withdrew and was replaced with the Patriotic Alliance.^[5]

Election as Deputy Executive Mayor and Appointment as MMC

On 18 August 2016, Athol Trollip was elected Executive Mayor with Bobani elected as Deputy Executive Mayor. Bobani succeeded Bicks Ndoni, who was appointed in May 2015.^[6]

Athol Trollip announced that Bobani would take up the position as Member of Mayoral Committee for Public Health.^[7]

Dismissal as MMC for Public Health

In May 2017, Mayor Athol Trollip released a statement announcing that he had removed Bobani as MMC for Public Health. Trollip stated that the Public Health directorate had been a concern given serious allegations of maladministration and impropriety and that Bobani's public behaviour and conduct was unacceptable.^[8]

In December 2017, Trollip announced that Lance Grootboom of the African Christian Democratic Party would fill the position of MMC for Public Health. The department was under Trollip's direct political rule since Bobani's dismissal in May.^[9]

Removal as Deputy Mayor

In August 2017, the Patriotic Alliance councillor brought forward a motion of no confidence against Bobani to remove him as Deputy Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay. The opposition parties, including Bobani, staged walkout when the Speaker didn't allow more than one member of each political party to debate the motion.

The Speaker Jonathan Lawack announced after the vote that the motion had passed with 60 members in favour of his removal.^[10]

Bobani subsequently filed an urgent application to be reinstated as Deputy Executive Mayor, since the meeting was deemed illegal by opposition parties, because they alleged there was no quorum. The Eastern Cape High Court dismissed the application stating that it was not urgent.^[11]

The UDM released a statement stating that the party had withdrawn from the coalition agreement. The Patriotic Alliance replaced the UDM, but later also withdrew.

Election as Mayor

On 27 August 2018, DA councillor Victor Manyati abstained from supporting his party's speaker, Jonathan Lawack. Lawack was removed from his position by 60 votes to 59. The DA and its supporters then left the council, and in their absence, Bobani was elected mayor, with 61 votes in favour and zero against. ^[12]

The Democratic Alliance filed an urgent court application to overturn the removal of Athol Trollip. Their application was dismissed.^[13]

He is the first ever mayor from the United Democratic Movement.

Coalition with the ANC

When Bobani was declared mayor, he immediately appointed a mayoral committee consisting almost entirely of ANC members, including controversial ANC councillor, Andile Lungisa.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality is now governed by a multi-party coalition consisting of the ANC, UDM, AIC and UF.

Tenure

In August 2018, on his first day as mayor, he struggled to get into the enter the mayor's offices.^[14]

In September 2018, he announced that new water tariffs will be introduced which will ensure that residents' municipal water bills be lowered. Recent rainfall has enabled the reduction of water tariffs from Part C to Part B.^[15]

Also in September, he placed Johann Mettler, municipal manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay, on precautionary suspension.^[16]

The National Treasury's chief director for local government analysis has raised concerns over "alleged interference in supply chain management procedures" under Bobani's watch.^[17]