Trollip slams Danny Jordaan as part time mayor

Port Elizabeth – Athol Trollip came out guns blazing as the DA launched his campaign for Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay in 2016, saying Danny Jordaan was a part time mayor who had not added any significant value to the city since taking office.

Trollip said with the start of his mayoral campaign the DA was saying that he was their mayoral candidate and over the next months he would be detailing his turnaround strategy for the Metro.

“The people know that I am the mayoral candidate, the ANC do not reveal who their candidates are, and we have no idea if Danny will be mayor after the elections,” he said.

A week ago Trollip said Jordaan had failed the city during his first 100 days in office, deflecting scandal after scandal, rather than serving the desperate needs of the people.

Jordaan hit back later in the week, giving his own 100 day report back, saying that since taking over the reins three months ago, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was financially stronger, clamping down on corruption and closer to its people.

Trollip used the opportunity of the launch to once again hit out at Jordaan and the ANC leadership.

“The current ANC government here in Nelson Mandela Bay is the enemy of hope and opportunity to hundreds of thousands of people.”

“It is a broken government led by broken men built on empty promises that has been hijacked by a corrupt elite that works for themselves and not the people they were elected to serve,” he said.

Suspensions

Jordaan has suspended a number of top municipal officials since taking office. Among those suspended are Head of Corporate Services, Mod Ndoyana, Head of Human Settlements, Lindile Petuna, Treasury official Nadia Gerwel, fresh produce market director, Isaac Nokele, controversial head of communications, Roland Williams, Supply chain official Sox Nkanjeni as well as cashiers and clerks from the economic development department.

New additions served with notices to suspend this past week include Corporate Services Director, Chris Jamda and Human settlements director Mvuleni Mapu, while Municipal Manager, Mpilo Mbambisa, is also in the cross hairs but is currently on sick leave and is said to be negotiating a golden handshake with the municipality.

Trollip said that the latest round of suspensions brought by Jordaan meant nothing.

“Suspension is a thing of the ANC. Those who are suspended should be fired, but that is not the case.

“Roland Williams was suspended for more than a year, but was welcomed back. This time he has been suspended and is seen laughing with Danny Jordaan afterwards,” he said.

Trollip said suspension meant nothing as there were no consequences for those who were suspended, often with full pay, while cases dragged on for months, preventing the vacant posts from being filled. He said if dismissed, the cadres were often simply redeployed to other high paying jobs.

“This latest round of suspensions is just more of the same,” he said.

Strong budget

Jordaan said over a short period of time they had stabilised the metro’s finances and reworked the budget to have R1.5bn working capital in the bank, in contrast to the previous precarious financial position.

“In 30 days, we had to rework the budget and we went to council with a surplus – it was a small surplus, but a surplus nonetheless,” said Jordaan.

Trollip said Jordaan’s claim that it was his budget was not true, as the budget that Jordaan had put forward was actually based on recommendations from the national treasury that had been sent back after the Metro’s first draft had been rejected.

“Danny Jordaan’s budget is actually not Danny Jordaan’s budget,” he said.

News24