Tshwane ‘no confidence’ meeting turns chaotic
A Tshwane council meeting had reached a chaotic stalemate hours after its supposed commencement yesterday, as there was no speaker to preside over the sitting.
Councillors were there to continue last week’s collapsed meeting where a motion of no confidence against mayor Stevens Mokgalapa and Speaker Katlego Mathebe was tabled.
The meeting quickly turned chaotic when Mathebe recused herself. She appointed her deputy Zweli Khumalo to deputise to avoid a conflict of interest.
But Khumalo was forcefully removed from the seat by ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters councillors, who pulled him out of the speaker’s chair, claiming Mathebe should return, since legislation did not allow for a deputy speaker.
Councillors reported Khumalo allegedly smelled of alcohol, ANC chair Kgosi Maepa said.
“Firstly, in legislation, we do not have someone called a deputy speaker. In the absence of the speaker, council should take a decision on who should take over. Some of the councillors went on the stage and came back to report that [Khumalo] apparently reeks of alcohol.”
Maepa said the speaker should continue with the meeting and only recuse herself once it reached the item on the motions.
Council should then elect a presiding officer or an official from the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta).
Democratic Alliance Gauteng leader John Moodey slammed the delayed council meeting as “thuggery” and a “mockery of democracy”, accusing the ANC of using the same tactics used when former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol
Trollip was ousted.
“Cogta officials are here. We need to ask ourselves who they work for because [Cogta] MEC [Lebogang] Maile was apparently at Tshwane and briefed them. This is a tactic to steal this metro as well. This is a mockery of democracy.”
As for the allegations that Khumalo was inebriated, he said: “That is not true. I had met with him about two hours before and I can tell you there was no alcohol smell.
“This meeting should just continue. This is nothing but thuggery…”
The DA would be losing their last metro municipality should Mokgalapa be voted out.
On Wednesday, the ANC’s Geoff Makhubo became Johannesburg’s new mayor.