ANC threatens court action over mayor

The ANC has threatened to go to court if its motions of no confidence in Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba and council speaker Vasco da Gama are not tabled in council in September.

The Johannesburg metro’s programming committee concluded on Tuesday that the two motions that the ANC had filed were “inadmissible”. Funzela Ngobeni, leader of executive business in the council, said the call for a secret ballot was in conflict with the council’s standing rules.

The option was given to the ANC to amend its motions to bring them in line with its rules, but the ANC declined this offer, Ngobeni said.

On Wednesday, the ANC’s attorneys sent a letter to Da Gama, demanding a written undertaking from him by close of business on Thursday that the two motions will be put on the agenda of a council meeting on September 27.

“Should we not receive a written undertaking from yourself by close of business tomorrow, our instruction is to approach the high court on an urgent basis to compel, amongst others, to place these two motions on council agenda for debate and adoption if needs be by council,” the letter by Mosomane Attorneys read.

It is understood that the speaker did reply, declining to accede to the demand.

The letter was sent on behalf of the ANC and four of its councillors who argued that there was no legal basis to refuse to place the motions on the agenda.