Political Parties Weigh In On Gqeberhas New Mayor

ANC Chairperson in Nelson Mandela Bay Region, Babalwa Lobishe, has been elected as the new Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

Lobishe replaces Gary van Niekerk of National Alliance who resigned earlier today. His resignation follows a decision by the ANC NEC that the party should lead in all hung councils.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, the ANC is in coalition government with Van Niekerks party, National Alliance, EFF, PA, PAC and AIC.

Babalwa Lobishe, who was the Deputy Mayor, has been unanimously elected to lead this metro. Lobishe says top of her priorities will be to stabilise the metro by filling key managerial positions.

"The top priority is for us to look at the areas of audit outcomes, your irregular expenditure, also other issues emanating from the overtime that is too much for the city and also looking generally at how we are going to stabilise the administration. One would recall that we have unoccupied positions of section 57 managers. So, it's part of the priority," says Lobishe.