HOT on the heels of being removed from the monthly council meeting this morning, three DA members accused the Ekurhuleni speaker of enforcing fascist behaviour.
In a statement issued by Ashor Sarupen, MPL, DA Springs-Daveyton Constituency Head, he said the speaker of the Ekurhuleni Council, Clr Patricia Kumalo, jackbooted over democracy by using the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) to forcefully prevent himself and two of his colleagues from carrying out their constitutional role of oversight.
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“Myself, Paul Willemburg MPL and Jordan Lotriet, a DA member, were present at the monthly council meeting in Germiston this morning, seated in the public gallery among journalists and concerned residents of the metro.
“Willemburg and Lotriet were taking pictures of the proceedings, like many others in the gallery, when the speaker singled out Willemburg and Lotriet and ordered EMPD officials to forcefully remove them from the gallery. She insisted that the metro police delete any photographs and videos they may have on their phones of the day’s proceedings – illegally, before returning them to the chamber.
See more photographs of the scuffle here
“Upon their return, speaker Kumalo then singled me out and ordered the metro police to subject me to the same rough and barbarous treatment,” Sarupen said.
“Despite not having taken photographs or videos, my phone was forcefully taken from me and, without a warrant, searched. As a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, oversight over local government performance is critical.
“I have laid charges against Patricia Kumalo at the Germiston Police Station and will ensure that this fascist act does not become the norm,” Sarupen concluded.
Express could not reach Sarupen to confirm what the charges were.
