THE speaker of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Council, Clr Patricia Kumalo, has rubbished calls by the DA that she and the chief whip should step down, describing their reaction as opportunistic and cheap politicking.
The chief whip of council, Clr Robert Mashego, has expressed shock at the DA’s claims that he colluded to make their member’s defection to the ANC as dramatic as possible.
Both issued statements following an incident during the state of the city address last week where a DA member accused his party of being racist.
Kumalo said: “I cannot believe that the party is side-stepping the issues raised by their former member to call for me to quit office because of the way I handled the matter in council. T
“In a democracy you allow the views of other people when they ask to address you. Clr Shilabe raised his hand and asked to address me personally and I allowed that. He never said he was addressing me as a member of the DA but a councillor in the house. I had to give him the chance because I did not know it this was about.
“The councillor raised serious issues of racism in the DA and handed over affidavits to me with a request that I should assist them as ‘black’ DA members to raise the matter with the SA Human Rights Commission.
“Some DA councillors jumped off their seats and charged at him, manhandling him in the process. I had to call security at some stage because I feared for his life.”
She said her numerous calls for order came to nothing and the DA brought the house into disrepute. “Instead of them apologising for their unprofessional behaviour, they now turn around and point fingers at me and the chief whip. They should be talking about the allegations their own member raised instead of looking for scapegoats.
“I am not apologetic about the way I handled the situation and I find it laughable that they are calling for my resignation.”
Kumalo has committed to assisting Hendrik Shilabe and his other aggrieved colleagues take their issues up with the relevant human rights structures in the country.
She called on all political parties represented in council to take part in efforts to take this country’s democracy forward.
Chief whip, Clr Robert Mashego, said: “This is nonsensical. Instead of the DA thanking me for bringing peace and order to the house when they made a mockery of proceedings, they actually apportion part of the blame on me.”
“As a responsible member of the council and the chief whip, I could not just sit back and allow mayhem in that meeting. I had to do what is expected of me and that is to ensure that there is peace and harmony among the political parties involved.
“That is what I did and I am quite happy and unapologetic at my role. The DA was manhandling the defecting member and some were charging at the speaker. How could I have just sat there and watched this drama?”
He said the DA must deal with its own internal state of affairs because this episode had nothing to do with anything else but the allegations that were being raised by their own member at the time.
“That is what the DA should worry about instead of pointing fingers at others.”
Regarding the call for his resignation, Mashego described this as ‘cheap politics and very absurd’.
The drama unfolded during the state of the city address debate when DA councillor Shilabe announced his defection from the DA to the ANC, citing racism in the DA.
