Shadley Nash
A FORMER advocate of rent and services boycotts could find himself unceremoniously dumped from Port Elizabeth’s 100- member transitional local council because of his failure to pay his rates.
Port Elizabeth town clerk Paul Botha will think long and hard about the situation of his former adversary but now fellow councillor, Jeremy Saffier.
“I am still considering his position,” said Botha who, in terms of municipal ordinance, takes the final decision on whether to disqualify a councillor.
According to Saffier, who is an ANC councillor for Helenvale, a four-month postal delay of his final notice letter was the reason he fell behind in his rates payments.
Ironically, Saffier was informed by city administration director Carl Fischer that he was disqualified immediately after a press conference was held to promote a culture of payment among residents.
He said he did not receive a final notice for payment issued on March 2 and produced an affidavit by the Gelvandale postmaster attesting that he diligently cleared his post office box.
Saffier was a well-known campaigner of rent and services boycotts in the Helenvale area and on numerous occasions clashed head-on with council members, including Fischer and Botha. — Ecna