In a spectacular clash of wills‚ members of the Nelson Mandela Bay coalition government are at loggerheads over plans by the municipality to bail out the cash-strapped Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) to the tune of R15m. Deputy mayor Mongameli Bobani (UDM) is vehemently opposed to the idea‚ saying rate payers should not have to pay for EPRU’s mismanagement of funds. He accused the SA Rugby Union of holding a gun to the city’s head by dangling three test matches over three years — including the one against Argentina in August — in exchange for the money. At a highly charged mayoral committee meeting on Wednesday‚ Bobani argued that paying out the R15m over three years was setting a bad precedent, as other sporting codes could also come knocking. The municipality would need the support of the majority in council‚ and without Bobani’s support‚ the DA and remaining coalition partners would have to lobby the opposition parties. The proposal from the Mandela Bay Development Agency sai...
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