Port Elizabeth in the Spotlight as ANC and DA Battle it Out

The windy city is ground zero for political battle in the coming days, leading up to the African National Congress’ weekend launch of its manifesto for the local government elections, as the party hopes to reclaim a city the opposition believes it can take control of on 3 August.

As the ANC steps up the fanfare before its 16 April manifesto launch in Nelson Mandela Bay, the Democratic Alliance, which many believe could take the city in the election under its mayoral candidate Athol Trollip, was denied permission to hold an anti-Zuma march on Thursday.

At the same time, an unknown group or person has erected a huge billboard in Kempston Road in the ANC colours saying “Danny Jordaan Brought to you by Jacob Zuma”. The ANC has reportedly asked for the sign to be removed.

Jordaan, the chief of the SA Football Association, is the ANC mayor for Nelson Mandela Bay, brought in a year ago to take over the mess created by his predecessors, as a recent news report put it.

Questions have been raised again recently about Jordaan and the $10 million reportedly paid by SAFA before South Africa got the 2010 World Cup, at a time when Jordaan was head of the South African football body.

Clearly the ANC is focusing a lot of attention on the town that it could potentially lose in the election. On Friday President Jacob Zuma came to town to talk about the government’s Operation Phakisa, which is aimed at stimulating the ocean economy and jobs on the coastline.

Watch the two mayoral contenders, Trollip and Jordaan, in this video that highlights the issues facing the city:

Trollip, meanwhile, came under a heavy attack recently, with him and his family accused by some former workers of allegedly carrying out human rights abuses, being racist and using unfair labour practices on their family farm in the Eastern Cape. Trollip called the allegations, which were later dropped, a smear campaign.

The DA’s march against Zuma that was meant to take place on Thursday was rejected by the city council because it said it posed a security risk, although Trollip was quoted saying “Danny Jordaan’s ANC-led municipality is protecting Jacob Zuma from public action against his corruption and constitutional abuse”.