Deputy mayor accuses Bay speaker of flouting council rules

Theherald · May 04, 2026 · 656 words · By Nomazima Nkosi

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What to know about Deputy mayor accuses Bay speaker of flouting council rules

Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk has accused speaker Eugene Johnson of deliberately breaching the rules of order in respect of a key appointment.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk has accused speaker Eugene Johnson of deliberately breaching the rules of order in respect of a key appointment.

Why it matters

Van Niekerk was referring to the council’s decision last week to appoint Bay chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane to act as city manager for 14 days.

Common ground

At the council meeting, Van Niekerk tabled a report by mayor Babalwa Lobishe recommending that chief operating officer Lonwabo Ngoqo’s appointment as acting city manager be extended for a further six months, from April 30 to October.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Deputy mayor accuses Bay speaker of flouting council rules?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that an ANC councillor moved to amend the report, proposing that Ngcelwane be appointed to the position as an interim measure?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2026-05-04-deputy-mayor-accuses-bay-speaker…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6

verified Verified 3

schedule Pending 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info

Claim 1: “an ANC councillor moved to amend the report, proposing that Ngcelwane be appointed to the position as an interim measure.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms the outcome (Ngcelwane's appointment) and the mayor's original report, but the specific detail about an ANC councillor moving to amend the report is not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets, though it aligns with the reported outcome.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mayor Babalwa Lobishe proposed extending COO Lonwabo Ngoqo’s term as acting city manager by a further six months, according to her report.
https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2026-04-30-bay-cfo-to-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane said the absence of a permanent city manager was a key factor in the loss of the R241m rollover from the 2024/2025 financial year, warning that future applica…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2026-02-04-city-manager…

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web search NEUTRAL — On 7 October, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality acting city manager Nobuntu Mgogoshe announced the appointment of municipal accountant Karel Kramer to head of the city’s budget and treasury departme…
https://cfo.co.za/articles/nelson-mandela-bay-municipality-a…

info

Claim 2: “Ngoqo has just completed his second three-month stint in the post.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms Lonwabo Ngoqo served as acting city manager, there is no specific mention of him completing a 'second three-month stint' in the provided text.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mayor Babalwa Lobishe proposed extending COO Lonwabo Ngoqo’s term as acting city manager by a further six months, according to her report.Since then, the city has had five acting city managers, two of…
https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2026-04-30-bay-cfo-to-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Khalipha said the appointment of Advocate Ngoqo reflects the Council’s deliberate intent to professionalize and depoliticize Matjhabeng Municipality.” The Matjhabeng has wished Advocate Nqoco well wit…
https://centralnews.co.za/matjhabeng-municipality-appoints-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Former Sarah Baartman municipal managers, Ted Pillay and Lonwabo Ngoqo, have been appointed acting City Managers and Chief Operations Officers for the next six months. William made this announcement d…
https://www.algoafm.co.za/politics/cogta-mec-announces-new-a…

verified

Claim 3: “Van Niekerk tabled a report by mayor Babalwa Lobishe recommending that chief operating officer Lonwabo Ngoqo’s appointment as acting city manager be extended for a further six months, from April 30 to October.”

VERIFIED

The evidence from 'Bay CFO to act as city manager for 14 days' explicitly states that Mayor Babalwa Lobishe proposed extending COO Lonwabo Ngoqo's term as acting city manager by a further six months.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The senior managers, Ted Pillay and Lonwabo Ngoqo, were appointed to act as the Acting City Manager and Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO), respectively.
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3334272-nelso…

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web search NEUTRAL — Acting city manager Lonwabo Ngoqo told the oversight meeting that current service delivery levels in the metro had been marked as “distressed” by the National Treasury. He said he was using this as “m…
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-12-what-keep…

verified

Claim 4: “the council’s decision last week to appoint Bay chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane to act as city manager for 14 days.”

VERIFIED

The web search result 'Bay CFO to act as city manager for 14 days' explicitly confirms that CFO Jackson Ngcelwane was appointed acting city manager for 14 days following a council meeting.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Internationally, Mandela acted as mediator in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial and served as secretary-general of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

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web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay CFO Jackson Ngcelwane has been appointed acting city manager (Eugene Coetzee).Ngcelwane’s appointment follows an extensive behind-the-scenes debate at the special council meeting at…
https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2026-04-30-bay-cfo-to-a…

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verified

Claim 5: “During the 14-day period, Ngcelwane is tasked with requesting the Eastern Cape co-operative government department to appoint an acting city manager for three months.”

VERIFIED

The source 'Bay CFO to act as city manager for 14 days' explicitly states that Ngcelwane was 'tasked with requesting a Section 154 intervention' (which involves the co-operative government department) before his term expires.

info

Claim 6: “ANC councillor and infrastructure and engineering political head Buyelwa Mafaya recommended that Ngcelwane act in the position for 30 days, not exceeding three months.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results for this claim returned information about the New York Mets baseball team, which is irrelevant to the political claim regarding Buyelwa Mafaya.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Official Site of Major League Baseball
https://www.mlb.com/mets/roster/

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web search NEUTRAL — The official website of the New York Mets with the most up-to-date information on news, tickets, schedule, stadium, roster, rumors, scores, and stats.
https://www.mlb.com/mets

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · The official Mets news source including trades, rumors, scores, standings, stats, game recaps, highlights, injuries and more from MLB.
https://www.mlb.com/mets/news

info

Claim 7: “ANC councillor Bongani Mani later supported the proposal to appoint Ngcelwane as acting city manager, but for a period of 14 days.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms Jackson Ngcelwane was appointed for 14 days, but does not explicitly name Bongani Mani as the person who supported that specific duration in the provided snippets.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — After a heated debate in council on Thursday, Nelson Mandela Bay chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane was appointed to act as city manager for 14 days. Ngcelwane was tasked with requesting a Sect…
https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2026-04-30-bay-cfo-to-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Only one permanent executive director, millions in lost funds, and long-term acting managers — the Bay's leadership crisis is hurting service delivery, say opposition parties.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-07-nelson-ma…

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web search NEUTRAL — The long-standing disciplinary matter of suspended Nelson Mandela Bay city manager Noxolo Nqwazi is likely to cost the city millions of rands more. Chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane said ...
https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2026-02-04-city-manager…

info

Claim 8: “Van Niekerk was acting as mayor at the meeting.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms Gary van Niekerk's roles as Mayor and Deputy Mayor, but does not specifically confirm he was 'acting as mayor' during the specific meeting where the appointment was decided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Gary van Niekerk is a South African politician who has been the Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay from May 2023 until October 2024. Previously, he had served as the municipality's council speaker from Novem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_van_Niekerk

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web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk stormed out of Tuesday's council meeting after speaker Eugene Johnson blocked him from responding during a debate on co-operative governance MEC Zolile…
https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2025-08-26-van-niekerk-stor…

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web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk addresses the media after his court appearance, where he was found guilty of contempt of court. (Photo: Riaan Marais)
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-28-nmb-speak…

schedule

Claim 9: “Johnson confirmed receiving Van Niekerk’s letter and said she would respond to him in writing on Monday.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 10: “Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk has accused speaker Eugene Johnson of deliberately breaching the rules of order in respect of a key appointment.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web results confirm Gary van Niekerk is the deputy mayor and has had conflicts with speaker Eugene Johnson (including storming out of meetings and disputes over motions), none of the provided evidence explicitly mentions an accusation of 'deliberately breaching the rules of order in respect of a key appointment'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay speaker Eugene Johnson’s refusal to table a motion regarding deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk’s contempt of court conviction left councillors fuming at Tuesday’s council meeting.
https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2025-10-29-da-demands-d…

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web search NEUTRAL — According to the Democratic Alliance's Morné Steyn, Johnson is in breach of the Code of Conduct because she failed to take action regarding the alleged fraudulent activity of the mayor, Gary van Nieke…
https://www.polity.org.za/article/nelson-mandela-bay-opposit…

help

Claim 11: “The [Municipal Systems] Act says that council cannot request the MEC to consider and approve an acting city manager for a period that exceeds three months.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided regarding the specific text or limitations of the Municipal Systems Act concerning the three-month limit for MEC-approved acting city managers.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.