DA, EFF cut mayor to size over protest
Makhubo ‘backs power boycott’
Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo came under fire yesterday at the council sitting for joining a Soweto protest calling for a monthly electricity flat rate.
Makhubo was taken to task by mainly councillors of the DA and the EFF for joining dozens of Soweto residents who were on Wednesday protesting over what they called abnormal loadshedding and also called for Eskom to implement a R150 electricity flat rate for all households.
His participation in the march raised eyebrows, with questions raised on whether the ANC was marching against the ANC. Both the EFF and the DA said if Makhubo was advocating for a flat rate in Soweto, then he must do the same in all Johannesburg communities.
EFF’s Musa Novela said all residents of Johannesburg were feeling the pinch of high electricity costs.
“We have to say this, more especially in light of the developments of yesterday in Soweto, that if you are going to advocate for a flat rate for Soweto residents, you must do the same for Alexandra... for Ivory Park, Diepsloot [and] for Orange Farm … they too, like the people of Soweto, cannot afford electricity,” Novela said.
DA’s Funzi Ngobeni also raised the same issue, saying that Makhubo was actually contradicting finance minister Tito Mboweni’s user-pay principle.
Makhubo said he did not advocate for the flat rate but that he had joined the march as he wanted Eskom to solve the loadshedding problem.
He said that “at no point” did he call for the flat rate and that he would never make such a call. However, Makhubo was accused of misleading the council and Johannesburg residents and that he joined the march because he agreed with the its memorandum, which called for the flat rate.
The councillors said his mere presence at the march showed he was agreeing to the flat rate and that was alarming.
Makhubo was also cautioned by Novela on reports that he was considering reversing some of the insourcing done by his predecessor, Herman Mashaba, with the help of the red berets.
“The issue of insourcing is an emotive issue. It brings dignity to our people from being paid next to nothing to [being] paid a decent living wage and that is not a vehicle you should tamper with,” Novela said.