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06 Jan, 2020
UDM in talks with DA
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Democratic Alliance met today in Pretoria to talk about the possible future of coalition politics in South Africa; in particularly where it concerns the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM). Various matters were discussed in terms of the principles that must be applied to take the work of this council forward. Both parties agreed that service delivery to the people of the NMBMM is of paramount importance. The UDM will take the discussion on coalition politics in the NMBMM and other municipalities to our structures for full consultation. The parties agreed to have more meetings going forward. Statement by: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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07 Dec, 2019
UDM NEC decision regarding the removal of Cllr Bobani as Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) met at the weekend to discuss the removal of the UDM’s executive mayor in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality through a vote of no confidence on 5 December 2019. After carefully considering the feedback it received, the UDM NEC is of the view that the matter of the motion of no confidence was irregularly included on the council agenda and that the removal of Cllr Mongameli Bobani as executive mayor was therefore unprocedural. It is clear that some villainous political machinations were at play to hamper the progress Cllr Bobani’s administration was making and that, because he declined to take part in tender rigging, he was removed. Cllr Bobani has indicated that he has already taken the matter for judicial review. The Party wishes to take this opportunity to express its disgust at the manner in which it and Cllr Bobani were treated. As a matter of principle, the UDM fully endorses this legal action in the hope that, if it be necessary, any mayor will be protected from unprocedural removal from office. Issued by: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
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06 Sep, 2018
Status of the UDM as part of the co-governance agreement; setting the record straight
Rev Kenneth Meshoe, MP President, African Christian Democratic Party Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, MP President, Congress of the People Mr Mmusi Maimane, MP Leader, Democratic Alliance Dr Pieter Groenewald, MP Leader, Freedom Front Plus Dear Colleagues STATUS OF THE UDM AS PART OF THE CO-GOVERNANCE AGREEMENT; SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT Straight off the bat I wish to inform you that I take exception to the four signatories’ giving me a deadline to respond to your letter dated 1 September 2018 as if I am a schoolboy to be ordered about. This is not the collegial manner of communication I would expect amongst peers. For your information, I was contacted by both the City Press and the Business Day on the 1st of September, that asked for comment on your letter, which I only received yesterday afternoon. A question also arose in my mind as to why the United Democratic Movement (UDM) was not invited to the 31 August meeting of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the Congress of the People (Cope), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+). Your letter clearly states that the meeting was “…to consider a number of issues relating to coalition led governments across South Africa.” I would be obliged if you could furnish the UDM with the other agenda items and explain why we were not invited. That said, it seems as if the signatories suffer from collective amnesia given the history that led us to this point in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMB Metro). The United Democratic Movement (UDM) herewith sets the record straight. 1. The three-person commission The co-governance agreement clearly stipulates what should happen in the case of discord between the coalition partners. I therefore remind you that the three-person commission – the coalition partners had tasked to make inquiry when the first differences within the coalition arose – had fingered both Mr Athol Trollip and Mr Mongameli Bobani. This inquiry also found that Mr Trollip had undermined the coalition and disobeyed the coalition partners’ collective instructions and by implication his own national leader. Despite these facts, the DA refused to act against Mr Trollip and yet expected the UDM to do so. This is an obvious double-standard. 2. The PricewaterhouseCoopers saga It was the DA which used the so-called draft report, that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) had compiled, to discredit and defame Mr Bobani who at the time served as the NMB Metro’s Deputy Mayor. The DA refused to deal with Mr Trollip after he came up with wild accusations about Mr Bobani. At that time, the UDM stated that we would not take Mr Trollip’s word on these allegations and that the matter should be investigated and tabled at council. We were satisfied that council would apply its mind, once it received a report, and determine whether Mr Bobani was guilty of any wrongdoing. PwC’s interim report never reached council nor were the coalition partners privy to it. Instead the DA’s leaders Mr Mmusi Maimane, Mr James Selfe as well as Mr Trollip ran around the country blackening Mr Bobani and the UDM’s name. After we read in the media that such a report existed, the coalition partners had to demand a copy from the DA. There was no mention of Mr Bobani. The final PwC report was last year given to Mr Trollip, yet it remains in his hands. The coalition partners, council and even the media asked for its release and he has not done so. However, Herald eventually got hold of the report and reported that there were no findings that implicated Mr Bobani in any wrongdoing. We understand that this DA project cost the taxpayer millions of rands, which it used for their own nefarious purposes. What kind of political party uses public funds to attack its coalition partner? We have written to Mr Maimane in the past to demand that the DA and he must apologise to the UDM and Mr Bobani. He has not responded. 3. Regarding the DA’s “side deal” with the Patriotic Alliance It was the very same DA that brought some questionable characters through the back door and arranged that the Patriotic Alliance (PA) move for a motion of no-confidence against Mr Bobani. We wondered at this PA/DA “side-marriage” that was clearly outside the coalition. It seemed like an old apartheid style move to play brother off against brother. Our other coalition partners did nothing, and you clapped hands as you got rid of Mr Bobani. You chased us away and today have the temerity to ask about the status of the UDM as part of the coalition in the NMB Metro. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Now that you are out in the cold, you suddenly notice the UDM and try to blame us; yet you know very well that the DA is the sole reason for your fall. The UDM says stew in your own juice. The onus is on you to convince the UDM to remain in what has turned out to be nothing else but a coalition of thugs and liars. Lastly, he past two years paints a clear picture of the road that has led us to this juncture and I am surprised that the ACDP, Cope and the FF+ still tolerates the DA. Maybe you are still on a fool’s quest? The UDM calls on the coalition partners to be honest with themselves and acknowledge that the DA has treated all of us like we are second class citizens and junior partners in the coalition. Yours sincerely Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP President of the United Democratic Movement CC: Mr Julius Malema, Commander in Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters
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08 Apr, 2018
Athol Trollip is telling lies; here are the hard facts
Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM) Athol Trollip, is holding rallies galore and tweets with the abandon of a small-town Donald Trump that he is the best man for the job. But the facts, evidence and his track-record, clearly show that Trollip is not worthy of trust. The evidence shows that he lives in an alternate universe as he continues to deceive the council for his self-serving political agenda. Trollip lied to council about his coalition deputy, the United Democratic Movement’s Mongameli Bobani. Trollip misrepresented a secreted draft PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, warned against by its authors for not complying with generally accepted auditing standards, and adjusted for surmised references to criminality to justify Bobani’s removal. Even Trollip’s new, and latest BFF, the Patriotic Alliance’s Marlon Daniels, admitted that he had been fooled by Trollip’s lies about Bobani. Only when confronted by evidence, and after being caught out, did Trollip try to justify his malicious misrepresentation. What did Trollip do yet again; he simply lied. These are the facts: The Weekend Post, on Saturday (see http://www.heraldlive.co.za/politics/2018/04/07/leaked-report-haunts-trollip/), reported that Trollip appointed PwC to investigate two separate matters: 1) The appointment of, and payments to, litter pickers, and also 2) the contract with Milongani Eco-Consulting. The reports have, however, yet to be tabled in council! Yet (reports the Weekend Post) the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has the reports in his possession. The UDM still finds it rather astonishing that PwC’s “draft report”, dated 21 August 2017, somehow landed in the briefcase of a leader of a political party. Why? The DA has, to date not explained this anomalous occurrence, where a council document is given to a national party leader (for that matter, whether it be the DA or not). The UDM only received a copy, of the so-called draft report, later in August when we demanded it from the DA… and guess what; the draft is silent on Bobani! In a motion to the council – which is expected to be debated next month – the African National Congress (ANC) also takes issue with the fact that Maimane is in possession of the two confidential council reports. City manager Johann Mettler responded to questions, from the ANC’s Rory Riordan, that the reports were not formally released to Maimane and that he had not given any authorisation for them to be released. This is laughable; who then gave the report to Maimane? In reaction, Trollip spoke only to the draft report and tried to wangle himself out of his self-made sinkhole of lies with the following lame story: “When I received the draft report compiled by PwC from the city manager, I sent them to my party leadership in order that they could get an insight into my concerns and that they should allow access to the respective co-governance leaders for the same reason.” “It was sent to their party leadership… I certainly did not leak the report to Mr Maimane or the leaders of our coalition partners. “I report to my party leadership and in a coalition to the coalition partners. When I raised concerns about the issues under councillor Bobani’s stewardship, it was Bantu Holomisa who requested the evidence/ report. When given to him, he said Mr Maimane and I kept it in our briefcases.” So, I ask again, as I 00have many times; as did the media; as did NMBMM councillors: Where is your proof that Bobani has done anything wrong? If the DA is all about good governance and accountability, there surely should be no reason to keep the reports under lock and key. Something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark! It is a fact that Trollip, refused all suggestion of reconciliation for the benefit of service delivery. The champion of baasskap defied and undermined the coalition leaders. He very publicly insulted me for simply asking proof of the wild accusations against Bobani and then him and his leader disparaged the UDM and me personally. In a show of his true colours, he has crowned his neglect of the people of Nelson Mandela Bay, by leaving for the DA congress without council appointing a caretaker mayor in his absence (whilst he is away on party?political business). Trollip clearly justifies his mendacity, now and in the past, by simply restating the facts as and when it is necessary to create a new reality to hide the knavery, just as he did when he lied to the Weekend Post. It baffles the mind that he gets away with this deceit. Does the entire DA (its leaders and members) condone this kind of behaviour, thus deceiving the South Africans who voted for their party? It is clear that some media houses, especially Media24, has no shame in showing support of the DA. Does the media not have a responsibility to impartially and correctly inform news consumers? A few days ago, the former Die Burger editor and now political commentator Henry Jeffreys, said that Trollip had struggled to establish an effective and efficient relationship with his deputy, and alienated the Economic Freedom Fighters with his outspoken criticism. Jeffreys went as far as saying that Trollip cannot remain mayor and that the DA must make another plan to manage the NMBMM coalition. This from a former editor of a Media24 newspaper who is a DA supporter! All councillors, from all political parties, are encouraged to vote with their conscience on the motion of no confidence against Trollip at the council. Issued by: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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18 Oct, 2017
#NMBCoalition – DA admitted mistakes were made, Bantu Holomisa writes to DA Leader Mmusi Maimane
Dear Mr Maimane NELSON MANDELA BAY COALITION: MISTAKES WERE MADE REGARDING THE MANNER IN WHICH THE SPEAKER OF COUNCIL CONDUCTED THE NMBMM COUNCIL MEETING OF 24 AUGUST 2017 1. I refer to matter of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM) Council meeting of 24 August 2017 at which a motion of no confidence was instituted by the Patriotic Alliance (PA), against our Deputy Executive Mayor, Cllr Mongameli Bobani. 2. The United Democratic Movement’s (UDM) lawyers have secured the closed-circuit television recording (available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzwt1-3KK09fRElhN0kzblVtT2s/view?usp=drive_web) of the aforementioned meeting from the Municipality. 3. I now wish to draw your attention to the meeting we had on 17 September 2017 when we talked about the state of the coalition. During our conversation, you conceded that the Democratic Alliance (DA) had made mistakes in dealing with the coalition partners and you had committed to set right such mistakes. 4. After having watched the recording today, I wonder if, when you referred to mistakes the DA had made, did you include the way the DA had handled the ousting of Cllr Bobani? 5. The UDM would like to understand how the Speaker of Council (as seen in the recording), in the very first instance only allowed one person of each political party to speak on the item and then ignored speaker, after speaker, who protested this decision. The DA professes to be proponents of democracy, but we fail to understand how, what happened on that fateful day, could be considered democracy. 6. When a councillor asked that the proposer of the motion, Cllr Marlon Daniels of the PA, explain what he meant by Cllr Bobani’s “erratic behaviour”, he never did. It appears as if this matter was just steamrolled through Council to suit a hidden agenda. We now know what that agenda had been, after we heard why the PA withdrew from your separate and bilateral “coalition agreement”. 7. Sir, do you consider the handling of the Council meeting as one of the mistakes the DA had made? Are you prepared to rectify this mistake by immediately reinstating Cllr Bobani as Deputy Executive Mayor? Yours truly Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP President of the United Democratic Movement Copied to: Rev Kenneth Meshoe, MPPresident, African Christian Democratic Party Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, MPPresident, Congress of the People Dr Pieter Groenewald, MPLeader, Freedom Front Plus
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25 Aug, 2017
NMB coalition: UDM participation – notice to pull out
Letter by UDM President Bantu Holomisa to Coalition Opposition Party Rev Kenneth Meshoe, MP President, African Christian Democratic Party Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, MP President, Congress of the People Mr Mmusi Maimane, MP Leader, Democratic Alliance Dr Pieter Groenewald, MP Leader, Freedom Front Plus Dear Colleagues NELSON MANDELA BAY METRO COALITION: UDM PARTICIPATION – NOTICE TO PULL OUT 1. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) National Executive Committee (NEC) met on Saturday, 5 August 2017. The NEC expressed serious reservations about the manner with which the Democratic Alliance (DA) treats the UDM in dealing with the situation at the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM). 2. The UDM NEC expressed its intense dislike of the DA’s style and manner of operation which undermine the Coalition and the decisions we had taken, at the highest level, to resolve the situation concerning Councillors Trollip and Bobani. The findings of the three-person team remain that both Councillors Trollip and Bobani were fingered by the findings of the investigation, Yet, the DA seems to think that it is above those decisions and want to unilaterally force the UDM to comply. Why is the DA not taking action against Councillor Trollip? This is a double standard. In the end, the Co-governance Agreement makes provision for a conflict resolution mechanism and we have followed those prescriptions to the letter. Why is the DA operating like “big-brother” outside these provisions? They are not only attacking the UDM directly, but also actively undermining the collective leadership of the Coalition Partners. 3. In addition, we take a dim view of the underhanded scheme to have Cllr Marlon Daniels (from the Patriotic Alliance (PA)) move for a motion of no-confidence against Deputy-Executive Mayor Bobani. We wonder at this PA/DA “side-marriage”, which seems to be outside the Co-governance Agreement? How is this relationship managed? Is the PA being swallowed by the DA? How can Councillor Daniels, who is not a Coalition Partner, be aware or have information about the allegations that Councillor Bobani is destabilising the Coalition? 4. The DA is acting in such a hypocritical manner. We are reminded that, at the first council meeting in the City of Johannesburg, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) insisted that they would not work with the DA, should it go ahead with the appointment of Councillor Herman Mashaba as Executive Mayor. The DA told the EFF they would not be dictated to by another political party; yet in this instance the DA wants to dictate to the UDM? Yet another double-standard. 5. To make matters worse, in a recent City Press article, DA leader Musi Maimane, said about Cllr Bobani: “…that a preliminary investigation into the deputy mayor showed prima facie evidence of corruption.” The UDM has not been privy to this “preliminary investigation”; which begs the question whether any of the Coalition partners have seen it? The City Press also reported that: “Maimane said the DA had repeatedly appealed to the UDM national leadership to replace Bobani with another candidate, but the party refused to do so, signalling a tolerance for corruption which infringed upon the coalition agreement.” On the 22nd of August, in a meeting of the leaders of coalition in Cape Town, Maimane asserted that the DA has a report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) which implicates Bobani in maladministration. The leaders of the coalition demanded to be given this report. The PricewaterhouseCoopers report was only delivered yesterday, the 23rd of August, and we are still yet to see a line that implicates Bobani on corruption. The DA has gone rogue in the worst manner possible. Going to the media and saying that the UDM tolerates corruption is tantamount to defamation. Making these damaging statements about the UDM in the media is also in contravention of the Co-governance Agreement. Why must we tolerate this? 6. The UDM NEC decided that should these matters not be put to rest once and for all, the UDM will review its decision to be part of the NMBMM coalition. As a result of the DA’s dirty tricks campaign against Bobani and the UDM, today Deputy Mayor Bobani was irregularly removed from his post. In light of the DA’s stance, we have no option but to inform you that the decision of the UDM’s NEC must be put into immediate effect. In other words, if Bobani is not reinstated to his position by the 28th of August, the UDM will pull out. Yours sincerely Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
