EFF councillors collapse council seating

Kwatsaduza – The first meeting of the ordinary council in Ekurhuleni was reduced to chaos on Thursday.

Members of the EFF physically forced the speaker of the council, Raymond Dlamini, to be excused from the meeting because he failed to amend the agenda of the day.

Members of the council, including the ANC, EFF and the ‘Super Seven’ demanded a motion of no-confidence against Dlamini and council chief whip Khetha Shandu to be the first item on the agenda. 

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Shandu argued the adjustment of the budget should be prioritised as it was on the agenda before the motion was submitted.

Aggrieved council members felt Dlamini was flaunting the rules of the council.

Last week the ‘Super Seven’, which includes the ACDP, African Independent Congress, PAC, COPE, UDM, ATM and Independent Citizens Movement, submitted a proposal to table the motion of no confidence against the two councillors.

If the parties get their way and the two are removed, it would result in the suspension of the standing orders of the council and make way for the removal of Mayor Tania Campbell.

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The mayor survived a motion of no-confidence in November.

Gauteng chairperson of the EFF, Nkululeko Dunga said they would fight until the motion of no-confidence was prioritised in the council.

“The speaker was flaunting the rules of council and dictating the agenda to the councillors and for that, the meeting had to be collapsed,” he said.

Dlamini refuted claims that he was attempting to delay the tabling of the motion.

“This is not an amendment. They suggested they wanted to bring in a motion and on top of that demanded that the motion take precedence. They can’t bring two motions at the same time,” he said.

Chief whip of the ANC in Ekurhuleni Jongizizwa Dlabathi said the speaker and chief whip are not fit for the job.

“From the inception of the council, the speaker has been unable to conduct council fairly and is inconsistent with the standing orders. For that reason we support the motion for their removal,” he said.

“They have demonstrated that they are not coping. We believe with the EFF it is time for them to be removed,” he added.

“He failed to comprehend the standing orders of the council permit submission of an amendment into the motion.

NFP councillor Siphumule Ntombela, the spokesperson of the ‘Super Seven’ said they are going to force the speaker to debate the motion of no confidence at the next seating.

The council is expected to meet in seven days.