The Democratic Alliance has claimed a 'blatant abuse of power' by Nelson Mandela Bay metro speaker Eugene Johnson after she cancelled the hearing of all motions in council, without giving a reason, on the day a motion was scheduled to be heard on whether the executive deputy mayor, Gary van Niekerk, could continue in his position after being found guilty of contempt of court.

The Democratic Alliance has claimed a 'blatant abuse of power' by Nelson Mandela Bay metro speaker Eugene Johnson after she cancelled the hearing of all motions in council, without giving a reason, on the day a motion was scheduled to be heard on whether the executive deputy mayor, Gary van Niekerk, could continue in his position after being found guilty of contempt of court.

Nelson Mandela Bay council speaker Eugene Johnson cancelled the hearing of all motions during the council meeting on Tuesday, without giving any reasons, after a motion was filed for a debate on whether deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk is still a fit and proper person to serve in council.

Earlier this month, Van Niekerk was found guilty of contempt of court and fined after he went overseas instead of attending his trial on, among other charges, cyberfraud and contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act.

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The DA's Morne Steyn said Johnson's ruling was a blatant attempt to stop the council from debating the issue. He said the speaker had demonstrated bad faith and undermined the constitutional right to democracy while eroding the council's ability to hold members accountable through due process.

"The DA maintains its position that...