DA’s behaviour may lose voter support
Tuesday I attended a council meeting at the Wool Board chambers.
This was the first council meeting after the high court ruling that dismissed the DA application to nullify the election of Mongameli Bobani as the mayor.
In spite of this court ruling, the DA brought a new man and paraded him as a “DA councillor”.
Before the council meeting could start, the city manager, Johann Mettler, requested a 15-minute adjournment to clarify to the party whips the legality or otherwise of the presence of councillor Mbulelo Manyati in the meeting.
When the council meeting resumed, the city manager read out in detail the high court ruling that confirmed Manyati as still a DA councillor.
That is when the DA councillors started to kick dust like spoilt kids, refusing to accept the legal opinion from the city manager.
The DA maintained that it had since charged, prosecuted and brought Manyati through a disciplinary process, found him guilty and summarily expelled him without an option of an appeal.
This all happened at such a breakneck speed, presumably immediately after the high court ruling.
In its haste to get rid of Manyati, the DA bypassed the IEC, who in law should confirm the vacancy in the council.
It seems that the city manager had not received such a confirmation from the IEC, hence his recognition of Manyati as still being a DA councillor.
What followed next was chaos and unruly behaviour by DA councillors never seen before in SA.
While I understand the trauma that comes with losing power, the behaviour by DA councillors was unacceptable.
DA councillors jumped on the tables as they scrambled to protect the new “DA councillor” from eviction by council security officers.
This despicable behaviour by the DA councillors was led by councillor Nqaba Bhanga, the DA premier-elect for the Eastern Cape who hurled insults at the speaker.
This behaviour is inconsistent with a party that prides itself of observing the rule of law.
The sooner the DA accepts the loss of power, the better for it.
If it continues on this traOn jectory, it will paint itself as a party of hooligans.
The voters will punish it in the next polls if it continues with this behaviour.
The DA must regain its composure and oppose the coalition in power with vigour and humility.
The citizens of this metro expect efficient and effective service delivery from their public representatives and a robust opposition, not the rowdiness that characterised the past council meeting.