Message of hope as 10-party coalition governing SA’s #5 Metro beating the odds, delivering turnaround.
Nelson Mandela Bay’s 10-party coalition is now seven months old and, according to executive mayor Retief Odendaal, has already notched up some remarkable wins. Apart from keeping all partners onside in reputably the largest governing coalition on earth; focused maintenance and fast-tracking of existing projects has removed the very real threat of the city’s taps running dry. Although the Democratic Alliance, with 48 seats, dwarves the next most prominent coalition member’s three seats, Odendaal says a partnership approach was adopted from the get-go and is reaping dividends. This is a template which may be applied to address instability elsewhere, especially Gauteng, where smaller members of coalitions complain about not being adequately respected. Odendaal spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews.