Secret meetings with potential investors and behind-the-scenes lobbying to position the Eastern Cape as an investment destination of choice have paid off, with 18 major investment declarations totalling R127bn announced on Friday.
Though he was not the speaker of the Nelson Mandela Bay council for five months in 2022, National Alliance president Gary van Niekerk used the official letterhead and signatory of the office to appoint a law firm and rack up R551,586 worth of legal bills.
The National Treasury has thrown down the gauntlet over the controversial appointment of MBDA chief executive Anele Qaba, threatening to withhold grant funding if the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality does not suspend his appointment.