Ekurhuleni Speaker of council not off the hook yet
The IFP provincial secretary, Alco Ngobese, told the Boksburg Advertiser that the withdrawal of the motion doesn’t mean that Tshivhenga is off the hook, as it was only withdrawn provisionally.
City of Ekurhuleni speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga has for the second time survived a no-confidence motion.
The initiator withdrew the motion just before it could be heard in council on Thursday morning (February 27).
In February the IFP tabled the motion in a bid to have Tshivhenga ousted.
The party argued that the speaker is failing in her role to keep order and the decorum of conduct in council, citing her failure to control a November fight between the DA and EFF during a formal sitting. It resulted in the assault of councillors.
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The IFP provincial secretary, Alco Ngobese, told the Boksburg Advertiser that the withdrawal of the motion doesn’t mean that Tshivhenga is off the hook, as it was only withdrawn provisionally.
“Some political parties who had initially agreed to support us have requested more time for negotiations and consultations. It’s only withdrawn temporarily pending negotiations and can be tabled in our next council meeting,” explained Ngobese.
Despite the IFP’s explanation, ActionSA has expressed frustration at the party’s change of heart at the eleventh hour.
“ActionSA’s disappointment stems from the fact that Tshivhenga has presided over and failed to act on several chaotic council meetings, where councillors were assaulted by members of her caucus,” said ActionSA Ekurhuleni caucus leader, Siyanda Makhubo.
“Her partisan manner in which she presided over council led to a scathing report from the bipartisan ethics committee that found her guilty of failing to act against her councillors.
“The report stated that she must read a formal apology to council and also fine her fellow councillors.”
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Makhubo said ActionSA encourages all parties in council to return to the negotiating table to resolve the governance crisis caused by Tshivhenga’s chaotic tenure.
The DA had earlier indicated that it intended to vote in favour of the IFP-sponsored motion.
The Advertiser understands that Tshivhenga also faces allegations of receiving kickbacks from service providers.
The CoE confirmed that a secretary in the speaker’s office was arrested in November after the EMPD concluded a preliminary investigation of fraud and corruption amounting to about R175 000.
“We can confirm that a case against an employee in the speaker’s office was opened and is now handled by the SAPS and the criminal court,” said CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
However, he declined to comment on the allegations, saying the matter was handed to the SAPS and is being dealt with in court. Therefore, the police investigations will determine whether Tshivhenga indeed benefited from corruption.
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EWN reported that allegations in an EMPD confidential report place the speaker at the centre of the fraud and corrupt activities.
involving kickbacks from service providers, who scored catering contracts for events her office hosted.
It is reported that the companies have allegedly been invoicing the city despite not rendering any service to it.
According to the EWN report, the accused employee allegedly admitted in an affidavit to using dishonest tactics to convince the company to make payments into her personal bank account.
