A CRUCIAL committee meeting meant to discuss critical economic development projects for Nelson Mandela Bay was cancelled yesterday because ANC councillors failed to arrive.
It is the third committee meeting in recent times that has been cancelled because there were not enough members for a quorum.
Last month, two municipal public accounts meetings did not sit because there was no quorum. They had to be adjourned because no ANC councillors, with the exception of acting portfolio chairwoman Nomvuselelo Tontsi, turned up.
In July, a full council meeting had to be cancelled after an overwhelming majority of ANC councillors boycotted the meeting, choosing to obey instructions from the party rather than metro bosses.
Yesterday, only economic development, tourism and agriculture portfolio chairman Chippa Ngcolomba (ANC) turned up for the meeting, along with the DA and COPE councillors.
Councillors were supposed to debate the industrial development strategy of the Bay, as well as projects spearheaded by the Mandela Bay Development Agency, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism and the Uitenhage- Despatch Development Initiative.
Ngcolomba said the situation was "unfortunate" and "frustrating".
"We anticipated that there would not be a quorum because there are councillors who are out of town and another councillor fell ill last week.
"We requested a postponement to the speaker [Maria Hermans], but she declined.
"We asked the chief whip [Feziwe Sibeko] for an intervention and she said she would, but she didn't come back to us," Ngcolomba said.
Sibeko said she had recommended a postponement to the speaker, but it was ultimately up to her to grant it.
The secretariat at yesterday's meeting said no leave of absences had been submitted.
