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Port Elizabeth - Following the ANC’s loss to the DA in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the recent local government elections, the question most often posed in council is: Where is Danny Jordaan?
Jordaan was deployed by the ANC to Nelson Mandela Bay in June 2015 to serve as executive mayor, after the regional executive committee had disbanded in January that year.
Since the ANC’s election defeat, the municipality has held three council meetings in the now DA-led municipality. But Jordaan has been absent from all of them.
The former mayor was proclaimed leader of the opposition in the council on August 18, during an official briefing held at the ANC regional offices. The briefing was called by the ANC to announce which party’s officials would serve in the new council.
Despite Jordaan’s absence at the briefing, the ANC said he had agreed to be deployed as opposition leader.
However, Jordaan has failed to attend any of the meetings held by the council up to now.
He also missed an ANC consultative conference in Port Elizabeth last week.
When Jordaan was first deployed as ANC mayor, Bay residents were concerned that he would be an absent official because of his responsibilities as president of the SA Football Association (Safa).
In response to these concerns, Jordaan had given assurances that his Safa role would not stand in the way of his serving Bay residents.
Beza Ntshona, coordinator of the ANC’s regional task team, and Vuyani Limba, convenor of the task team, said Jordaan was on leave.
“He has submitted leave documents. This is the reason he has not been attending council meetings,” said Ntshona.
Ntshona added that Jordaan was allowed time off to recuperate, like any other deployee or employee.
When asked what category of leave Jordaan had taken, Ntshona said it was sick leave.
But Jordaan has been visibly active in Safa matters and has appeared in the media representing the association.
Limba explained that people had a right to engage in other duties even if they were booked off on grounds of sick leave.
“Maybe his football activities will assist in his healing process. We cannot hold him responsible for engaging as he sees fit in other matters,” said Limba.
“He will come back when he is ready to serve in the council.”
Meanwhile, a group calling themselves “the 48 branches of the Nelson Mandela Bay ANC”, has demanded that Jordaan be visible in the Bay council.
In a meeting held to voice their complaints about the status of the ANC, they castigated Jordaan and called on the former mayor to prioritise his deployment to council.
“We only see Jordaan on television, talking about soccer issues. He must not circumvent the mess he has made,” said Mlindi Mangwane, coordinator of the 48 branches.
“We are here today because of the mess he created while he was a celebrity mayor here. He must come back and clean up the results of his actions. The ANC needs quality and dignity as an opposition party in that council,” he said.
“Jordaan must come and restore the dignity of our ANC in council immediately.”
Acting city manager Johann Mettler said Jordaan had been sworn in as councillor at the beginning of September.
“Dr Jordaan was sworn in by me on the day before the last council meeting,” said Mettler.
“I can confirm that despite the delays in his swearing in as councillor, the matter has now been concluded.”
DA official Jonathan Lawack, who serves as Speaker of the Bay council, said he could not divulge the reasons stated for Jordaan’s leave of absence.
“I am concerned when a councillor misses three meetings, albeit with a leave of absence,” said Lawack.
“I am also in the dark about [the] prolonged [nature of his] absence, but I cannot speculate.”
Lawack said there was no confirmation about when Jordaan would attend council meetings again, beyond the submission.
He added that further communication by the ANC about the matter would bring clarity on Jordaan’s absence.
“All parties made a promise to deliver to the citizens of the Bay in their manifestos,” Lawack said.
Meanwhile, efforts to get Safa spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi to respond to questions about Jordaan’s current activities at the football body have been thwarted.
Other than a telephone conversation with City Press on Thursday, during which Chimhavi requested written communication on the matter, he has not responded to calls and messages sent to him and his office.
In addition, Chimhavi did not respond to an email containing specific questions on the matter at the time of going to press.
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