ANC tips Danny Jordaan for PE mayor - report

Port Elizabeth - As it desperately tries to hold onto its leadership in key metropolitan areas, the ANC has reportedly lobbied South African soccer boss Danny Jordaan to take on the role of executive mayor in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality.

The party is struggling to maintain its popularity in urban areas, particularly the municipalities it governs, reported the Mail & Guardian on Friday.

Three senior leaders told the newspaper that there was serious lobbying taking place to get Jordaan to replace the current Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality mayor, Benson Fihla, who, at 83, is said to be “too old to effectively engage with communities”.

Attempts by News24 to get comment from Jordaan on Friday were unsuccessful.

Daso victory at Fort Hare

The proposal for Jordaan to take the job comes less than a week after it was announced that the DA Student Organisation won the Student Representative Council leadership at Fort Hare University, an ANC stronghold.

Daso won a clear majority of 52.5% of the student votes, up from 20.5% in last year’s SRC election, News24 reported.

The ANC-aligned South African Students Congress (Sasco) only managed to secure 37% of the vote.

Strong support

In November last year, DA party leader Helen Zille, who is set to be replaced this weekend at the party’s national conference in Port Elizabeth, said the DA is gaining strong support from the people of the Eastern Cape.

“Between 2006 and 2014, the African National Congress’ support in Nelson Mandela Bay dropped from 67% to 49%. During the same period, support for the DA climbed from 25% to 40%,” Zille said.

She believed five municipalities would be heavily contested in the 2016 local government elections, reported City Press at the time.