TCLM erupts into violence over budget
Despite a call for division by the DA and the EFF, the budget was passed and approved.
LYDENBURG – Chaos erupted at a council meeting last Friday when opposition parties questioned the passing of a deficit budget.
The special seating took place in the council chambers. Thaba Chweu Local Municipality’s (TCLM) ruling party, the ANC, moved for the enactment of a budget which was not presented to the finance portfolio committee.
According to the DA and the EFF, this 2019/20 revenue and expenditure budget was never tabled before the finance and technical committee.
Praise Nkabinde, DA councillor, called for a point of order on the matter and suggested that a special vote be cast whether or not to allow the passing of the budget.
The ANC Speaker, Cllr Jonathan Kock, refused to accept the point of order made by the DA. “Kock was acting out of his role and duties as Speaker. He is not allowed to refuse a point of order made by councillors as per the standing orders. A councillor rising to a point of order is entitled to be heard,” Nkabinde explained.
“The Speaker acts like a ‘referee’, taking charge of debates to make sure that the councillors can participate freely. “The ANC, however, use the Speaker as a means to silence us. This is not the first time we were denied. This time, however, we stood our grounds and had a copy of the standing rules at hand,” Nkabinde said.
At that moment, Kock said the opposition parties will either sit down or be removed from the house. The parties opposed this and Kock called in the help of the by-law officers for the removal of the opposition councillors. While councillors questioned the officers on whether they now work for the ANC or the municipality, the security guards of TCLM were called in.
At that moment the situation reached boiling point and a scuffle broke out between the ruling party’s councillors, the security and those of the opposition party. “At one moment I was choked and manhandled. We (DA and EFF) left the house after the incident and immediately laid a charge of assault against the ANC at Lydenburg SAPS.”
The ANC also arrived at the SAPS to lay a counter-assault charge. Brig Leonard Hlathi, Mpumalanga police spokesman, confirmed that three cases with separate dockets were opened. In the meantime, it was established why TCLM was so desperate to push for the passing of the budget.
Should the budget not be passed in the time-frame set out, TCLM stands to lose its supplement funding from National Treasury’s Division of Revenue Act (DoRA).
The DoRA act provides for the equitable division of revenue raised nationally among the national, provincial and local spheres of government.
Despite a call for division by the DA and the EFF, the budget was passed and approved.
