NMB Metro mayor faces motion of no confidence

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A special council meeting is set to take place in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro on Monday where a motion of no confidence against DA mayor, Retief Odendaal, will be debated.

But Odendaal is heading to court to prevent the meeting from sitting. He says due process was not followed in calling the council meeting.

“There is a motion of no confidence was tabled in our government a couple of days ago, we highlighted the fact that this motion is incompetent, it was not signed and seconded by any councilor and as such there is no competent motion before the council. We have written to the Speaker and to the city manager by our lawyers saying that we cannot proceed on this basis and that if there is going to be a change in government, it has to be done procedurally in order to prevent chaos and the Speaker has just ignored it.”

Speaker of council, Gary van Niekerk of the Northern Alliance, says due process in calling the meeting was followed.

He says the required 62 councillors signed the petition for a special meeting to be called.

“A petition was handed to my office to petition a meeting. The mayor has now challenged the legality of the petition. They have conceded that the meeting is a legal meeting, legitimately called. But what is being contested by them is the fact that this motion which asked for the removal of the mayor which was signed and received by the legal team in my office and it’s my view that the motion is a legal motion, it’s a competent motion. However, it’s important for us to consult our attorneys.”