Eusebius on TimesLIVE

PODCAST | EXPLAINER: Political chaos in Nelson Mandela Bay

23 September 2022 - 13:22
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The DA's Retief Odendaal was elected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday.
The DA's Retief Odendaal was elected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday.
Image: DA via Twitter

Find out what happened and what it means for politics in SA: 

Eusebius on TimesLIVE hosted The Herald editor Rochelle de Kock and the paper’s senior political reporter Andisa Bonani to explain this week’s political drama in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB).

The municipality has a new mayor, the DA’s Retief Odendaal. He replaces Eugene Johnson of the ANC who was removed early on Thursday morning after a marathon council sitting that led to a motion of no confidence. It was passed by just one vote.

What was the basis of the motion? Why did some parties vote with the incumbent ANC? What is the basis of complex coalition alliances in NMB? And, crucially, what are the prospects of the new leadership being able to turn around he metro that has been in the news for all the wrong reasons — among them water insecurity, gangsterism, high unemployment, housing backlogs and strained public health facilities?

Those are some of the issues De Kock and Bonani tackle in this podcast.

The discussion ends with reflections on the viability of the co-operative governance model and prospects of more viable provincial coalitions countrywide after the 2024 general election.

To listen to previous episodes, go here.

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