A Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality council meeting adjourned abruptly on Tuesday morning when opposition parties butted heads over several items – including speaker Jonathan Lawack’s request for deputy mayor Mongameli Bobani to leave the meeting.
Councillors accused Lawack of bending rules and reminded him of a meeting in October last year which “degenerated into chaos”.
Bobani accused Lawack of abusing his powers and Lawack responded by asking him to leave the chamber.
But Bobani responded: “I’m not going anywhere. I’m the deputy mayor. Unless you want to collapse the meeting.”
Lawack then refused to continue the meeting until Bobani and another councillor who had interrupted him – Siphiwo Plaatjies – left the chamber.
DA chief whip Werner Senekal then asked for an adjournment so party whips could come together to organise their members in the interest of progress.
Addressing the media during the adjournment‚ Bobani said he had refused to leave the chamber as Lawack was not following the rules.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said in a tweet the party “cannot support the actions of Mr Bobani in council today”.
“It has affected the lives of NMB citizens. Action must be taken.”
‘I’m not going anywhere – I’m the deputy mayor’: Bobani
A Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality council meeting adjourned abruptly on Tuesday morning when opposition parties butted heads over several items – including speaker Jonathan Lawack’s request for deputy mayor Mongameli Bobani to leave the meeting.
Councillors accused Lawack of bending rules and reminded him of a meeting in October last year which “degenerated into chaos”.
Bobani accused Lawack of abusing his powers and Lawack responded by asking him to leave the chamber.
But Bobani responded: “I’m not going anywhere. I’m the deputy mayor. Unless you want to collapse the meeting.”
Lawack then refused to continue the meeting until Bobani and another councillor who had interrupted him – Siphiwo Plaatjies – left the chamber.
DA chief whip Werner Senekal then asked for an adjournment so party whips could come together to organise their members in the interest of progress.
Addressing the media during the adjournment‚ Bobani said he had refused to leave the chamber as Lawack was not following the rules.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said in a tweet the party “cannot support the actions of Mr Bobani in council today”.
“It has affected the lives of NMB citizens. Action must be taken.”