In an interview on the eve of his 68th birthday, veteran activist and politician Khusta Jack explained why he left the Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral committee.

At the end of March, when two motions of no confidence were brought against Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe, veteran politician and struggle activist Khusta Jack told Lobishe, during a dramatic meeting, that he would not be defending her.

"I wanted to say a lot at that meeting, but my colleagues in the ANC persuaded me otherwise. She threatened to fire me then. But I think she forgot," he said over the weekend.

The two motions to remove Lobishe were unsuccessful - Jack was not present during the voting.

Jack, who celebrated his 68th birthday on Sunday, discussed his reasons for resigning as the metro's mayoral committee member for corporate services earlier in the week. He holds the only seat won by his party, Abantu Integrity Movement, in the 2021 local government elections.

FOR CONTEXT Nelson Mandela Bay's Khusta Jack resigns from mayoral committee, saying residents are being failed May 28, 2026 Jack said he believed that "outside forces" were running Nelson Mandela Bay, and Lobishe was simply carrying out instructions. He said decisions were made without robust, in-depth and intellectual discussion of the serious issues facing the metro.

Lobishe hit back over the weekend, saying...