Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor, Retief Odendaal, has finalised the appointment of the Nelson Mandela Bay Mayoral Committee.
Mayor Odendaal has appointed DA councillor Rano Kayser as Mayoral Committee Member (MMC) for Constituency Services, DA councillor Annette Lovemore as MMC for Corporate Services, DA councillor Dries van der Westhuyzen as MMC for Infrastructure and Engineering, and DA councillor Kabelo Mogatosi as MMC for Roads and Transport.
“These councillors have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I am confident in their abilities to lead their respective portfolios and deliver services to our residents,” said mayor Odendaal.
Odendaal, who previously served as the metro’s MMC for Budget and Treasury between 2016 and 2018, announced that the Budget and Treasury portfolio would be placed in the mayor’s office. “I personally commit to fixing the metro’s finances, so that we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again,” he said. The filling of these positions finalises the mayoral committee, which includes ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom as MMC for Electricity and Energy, UDM councillor Luxolo Namette as MMC for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture, DOP councillor Tukela Zumani as MMC for Human Settlements, AIC councillor Thsonono Buyeye as MMC for Public Health, GOOD councillor Lawrence Troon as MMC for Safety and security, and PAC councillor Bassie Kamana as MMC For Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture.
“I have the utmost faith in the mayoral committee. We are a team of dynamic, diverse individuals united in our quest to ensure effective and transparent governance and prioritise service delivery to our residents,” Odendaal said. He added that the mayoral committee would be tasked with rebuilding the local economy and the metro’s finances, ensuring that services were delivered to the people and tackling the Bay’s water crisis.
“We know that there is a lot that needs to be done. Turning the fortunes of Nelson Mandela Bay around will not be easy, and it will not be done overnight. However, we are committed to getting the city working again and will be doing everything in our power to make that a reality,” he said.
The complete list of portfolios is as follows:
Executive Mayor - Cllr Retief Odendaal (DA)
Speaker - Cllr Gary van Niekerk (NA)
Deputy Executive Mayor - Cllr Khusta Jack (AIM)
Chief Whip of Council - Cllr Bill Harington (VF)
1. Constituency Services - Cllr Rano Kayser (DA)
2. Corporate Services - Cllr Annette Lovemore (DA)
3. Infrastructure & Engineering - Cllr Dries van der Westhuyzen (DA)
4. Roads & Transport - Cllr Kabelo Mogatosi (DA)
5. Electricity & Energy - Cllr Lance Grootboom (ACDP)
6. Economic Development, Tourism & Agriculture - Cllr Luxolo Namette (UDM)
7. Human Settlements - Cllr Tukela Zumani (DOP)
8. Public Health - Cllr Thsonono Buyeye (AIC)
9. Safety & Security - Cllr Lawrence Troon (Good)
10. Sports, Recreation, Arts & Culture - Cllr Bassie Kamana (PAC)