Nelson Mandela Bay resignation drama after councillor attacked outside chambers

There was havoc in the Nelson Mandela Bay council chambers on Friday morning, just moments before the start of a scheduled council meeting.

DA councillor for Ward 35, Trevor Louw, was assaulted and robbed in front of the entrance to the chambers after a group of about 30 people, who claimed to be from that ward, accosted him.

All other DA and coalition members abstained from the meeting, except for two DA councillors, whose attendance resulted in a quorum.

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Louw was not hurt because security reacted swiftly. However, a letter in his possession was taken from him and smuggled to City manager Johann Mettler.

Mettler later announced that he had received a resignation letter, written by Louw. He read it out in council.

But Louw responded: "I would like to clarify that the letter that was just read was not handed to the City manager by myself. The letter was taken from me outside council and smuggled into council by the people who attacked me."

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Neither Mettler nor the member of the council secretariat could identify the person who had handed the letter in.

After deliberations on the legality of the submission of the letter, council speaker Buyelwa Mafaya deemed it to be null and void.