Rival no-confidence motions have been filed against Mayor Babalwa Lobishe and Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk in Nelson Mandela Bay, citing service delivery failures and alleged misconduct.
Two separate motions were submitted this week. GOOD party councillor Lawrence Troon filed one against Lobishe on 14 July, accusing her of failing to address electricity outages, water interruptions and deteriorating infrastructure. ANC councillor Luyanda Lawu submitted an urgent motion against Van Niekerk on Thursday, linking it to his ongoing court case involving charges of cyberfraud and violations of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Van Niekerk had earlier broken ranks by issuing a National Alliance statement that the party had not decided its position on the motion against Lobishe. He also wrote to the Eastern Cape MEC for cooperative governance about Lobishe’s failure to implement a road rehabilitation strategy.
Speaker Eugene Johnson confirmed the motions. Troon’s will be tabled in August, while Lawu’s exigency motion could be decided sooner. The ANC-led coalition holds a majority that could remove Van Niekerk, though opposition parties lack the numbers to unseat Lobishe.
Van Niekerk said his actions were driven by constitutional duty, not personal animosity. Lobishe responded to questions about her removal with a laughing emoji.