Gqeberha — The DA has called for Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk to step down following allegations of nepotism and corruption.
Various political parties in the metro are calling for van Niekerk to resign as he’s been accused of breaching the code of conduct, with the city accumulating high amounts of unnecessary expenditures.
The DA is at the forefront of the parties calling for van Niekerk to be axed, eNCA said.
“Gary van Niekerk is being investigated by the Hakws because when he was the speaker of council he tried to effectively allocate work to a law firm in order to represent his own political party, which is absolutely outrageous. That is the extent to which political interests have tried to capture this municipality,” Eastern Cape DA leader, Andrew Whitfield said.
“We cannot have an executive mayor who has no respect for the rule of law or his roles and responsibilities, running around with his executive authority, making decisions that are ultimately going to compromise the municipality,” he added.
According to News24, a Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting erupted in chaos on Wednesday when an item on the agenda, which could lead to the possible suspension of Mayor Gary van Niekerk was withdrawn.
The first item on the agenda, which dealt with Van Niekerk’s alleged involvement in fraudulent activity, was withdrawn by Speaker Eugene Johnson, much to the discontent of the opposition.
It is alleged that, although Van Niekerk was not the Speaker of the Nelson Mandela Bay council for several months in 2022, he used the official letterhead and signatory of the office to appoint the law firm and rack up legal bills to the tune of R551 586.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
