By Anita Dangazele
- Chief of staff Mlungisi Lumka says mayor Babalwa Lobishe used him as a shield after she failed to lead properly.
- The mayor blamed Lumka for missing meetings with Parliament but he says he told her about the letters in March.
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe is under pressure after a fierce attack from her own chief of staff, Mlungisi Lumka. The fallout comes after Lobishe clashed with a parliamentary committee last week.
Lobishe wants to suspend Lumka. She said he is to blame for the city not answering letters from Parliament. Members of Parliament criticised the mayor because she missed deadlines and did not respond to official mail.
Lobishe told the committee that Lumka and her personal assistants failed to do their jobs. She said this caused wasteful spending and made the city look bad.
But Lumka said the mayor is lying. In a leaked letter, he said Lobishe is using him as a shield to hide her own bad leadership. He said he sent her the letters from Parliament on 7 March.
He even showed her the messages again on WhatsApp during the meeting when she said she had not seen them.
Lumka said the mayor’s personal assistant had already told her about the letters. He said he asked for help because the matters were politically sensitive. These include a R25-million deal for a transformer and what he called strange activity in Lobishe’s personal bank account.
Lumka also claimed the mayor told him to stay quiet in meetings. He said she told him to be like a shadow and stop asking questions. Lobishe spoke to reporters on Saturday at an ANC conference in KuGompo City. She said the city would deal with the matter internally.
Lumka said the city is in big trouble. He listed red flags including money problems, broken electricity, water and sanitation systems and poor performance.
He said: “We are a dark city. Your priority is to suspend me.”
Pictured above: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality executive mayor, Babalwa Lobishe.
Image source: Babalwa Lobishe/Facebook Page
