Sol speaker gets the boot
IN A DAY of high drama, the Speaker of the Sol Plaatje City Council, Santa Elizabeth Johnson, has been booted from the chair while the legality of the annual budget has come into question.
Yesterday’s so-called “reconvened” council meeting, apparently called following a request by the chief whips of the various political parties, saw the Speaker, as well as members of the DA walk out before the meeting could even get under way.
The issue that had councillors hot under the collar was whether an earlier meeting, where the annual budget was approved, had been properly constituted as it had not been called by Johnson. Neither Johnson or councillors from the DA attended the budget meeting.
Following yesterday’s walkout, it was agreed that the municipal manager, Goolam Akharwaray, on written request from the chief whips, would convene the meeting and an acting Speaker was appointed.
Various legal opinions were also obtained by the FF Plus and the EFF.
Among the items on the agenda for yesterday were two motions submitted earlier, one from the DA, calling for a vote of no confidence in the executive mayor, Mangaliso Matika, and another from the ANC for a motion of no confidence in Johnson.
Akharwaray explained that the DA’s motion did not meet the prescribed criteria that it needed to be received 10 days before it could be considered by council. It was agreed that only the motion regarding the Speaker be considered.
Presented by ANC councillor Onica Matshediso, the motion stated that the conduct of the Speaker (Johnson) had brought the Sol Plaatje Municipality into disrepute and had undermined public confidence in the ability of the municipality to discharge its legislative mandate.
“The council has lost confidence in the abilities and competencies of the Speaker, Elizabeth Johnson, to discharge the mandate and obligations required of her as the Speaker,” the motion read.
“The loss of confidence has been occasioned by her total disregard for the legislative prescripts that govern her office and the negative consequences that arise as a result of the conduct of the Speaker.”
Johnson was accused of eroding the good reputation and integrity of the municipality and its record of good governance.
According to the motion, she had failed to hold councillors accountable for failing to hold their monthly meetings and had also not taken any action against councillors who were alleged to have committed a misconduct.
“The Speaker caused the municipal
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SITTING: Sol Plaatje Municipal Council Chambers. budget meeting convened on May 31 to be stopped abruptly and without due cause and thereby threatened the adoption of the municipal budget and thereby threatened to undermine the ability of the municipality to discharge its obligations towards service delivery.”
An initial request by the Freedom Front Plus’ Wynand Boshoff that the motion regarding the Speaker be kept until a full council was present, which would allow the discussion of both motions including the DA’s motion of no confidence in the executive mayor, was turned down by a majority vote.
Matika pointed out that the “house was challenged”, stating that he was not sure if the next meeting would even sit. He added that Johnson had already stated that she did not recognise the budget.
“It is a challenge if the chair turns against the house. We have become a joke in the community and I have consistently been raising issues of discipline. The next meeting must sit in dignity and respect,” he stated.
A further proposal by Boshoff that the voting for the motion of no confidence in Johnson be done by secret ballot was also rejected.
The motion of no confidence was passed by 34 votes (with all ANC councillors present voting in favour). No one voted against the motion and the opposition councillors (including the EFF, Cope and FF Plus) abstained from voting.
Boshoff said in a statement after the meeting that the Speaker had made it difficult for him to support her.
“The Democratic Alliance tried to play to the gallery, rather than put the interests of the community of Sol Plaatje first.”
He added that the FF Plus would continue to oppose the ANC, without getting involved in its internal squabbles.
He pointed out that yesterday’s motion of no confidence in the Speaker was “another milestone in the drawn out battle between the different factions of the ANC”, adding that Matika was a member of the Ramaphosa faction, while Johnson was in the Zuma camp.
“Both their actions have on occasion resulted in tension in the council,” he added.