The swearing in of a new council in Nelson Mandela Bay was never going to go off without a hitch.
Perhaps some of us had hoped that this time, electing our new mayor, deputy mayor, speaker and whip would conclude without the usual disorder we have come to associate with council meetings in the Bay.
Maybe this would be the dawn of a new era of governance in the metro.
Deep down, however, experience over the last few years has made us wise to the mechanics of the council, with its meetings that often descend into chaos, some lasting hours with no resolution.
And members of the public are well aware of it too, referring on social media before the scheduled meeting to the “swearing in” of 120 councillors-elect as the “swearing at”.
On Wednesday, what was meant to be D-Day, we woke up to the news that the Cogta MEC had sent a letter declaring the meeting illegal
Xolile Nqatha questioned the legality of Anele Qaba’s extended tenure as acting city manager, saying he had no authority to call the meeting as his tenure had lapsed.
About 30 minutes after Qaba stepped onto the podium to explain what had transpired, he postponed it to Monday.
Of course, the timing of the letter just more than 12 hours before the meeting was scheduled to start has also been called in question.
Why, some asked, was the letter issued only at the 11th hour.
Nqatha, however, vehemently rejected any claims that the ANC had had a hand in the cancellation.
Be that as it may, the postponement of Wednesday’s meeting before it even started does not bode well for the next five years if this is how we kick-start the next administration’s tenure.
We hope all those involved use the extra time this weekend to reflect on why it is they were elected by Bay residents and that when councillors-elect are sworn in, they take the oath they swear to heart.
We hope on Tuesday we wake up to a clean slate.
HeraldLIVE