Pretoria councillors embarrassing, MEC
Councillors asked to show maturity after a fight broke out on Tuesday.
The behaviour of Pretoria councillors on Tuesday was embarrassing, says Paul Mashatile.
The Gauteng MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs, was speaking after chaos erupted at Pretoria’s second council meeting when political rivals became physical with each other.
“Such behaviour is not consistent with our stated commitment to tolerance and good governance,” he said.
He said their conduct was a serious indictment of those elected to carry the hopes of the voters who were now betraying that trust.
“This behaviour is an affront to the recent successful local government elections.”
Mashatile asked the members to exercise maximum restraint and display maturity in managing differences.
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It was alleged that two councillors were physically attacked in the Tshwane council chambers at Sammy Marks centre in the city.
The DA’s Elma Nel and EFF’s Anna Masemola said they were assaulted by two ANC councillors.
Nel said Joe Masilela struck her in the face with his elbow as she tried to take a photo of a damaged door.
“My back hurts and my neck is stiff. I even hurt my left knee because one shoe got lost when Masilela knocked me down.”
DA councillor Lex Middelberg said he helped the two to lay charges of assault and intimidation against Masilela and Esther Mothuane, who allegedly assaulted Masemola.
An EFF councillor told Rekord that ANC members had threatened to assault EFF- and other members.
“We had to be escorted by the police. ANC members were standing outside and were planning to attack us,” said the councillor.
But ANC chief whip Arron Maluleka dismissed the allegations.
“On Friday, EFF members disrupted our workshop meeting, they even had guns with them. They are the ones who wanted to attack us. On Tuesday evening, we were escorted by the police,” Maluleka said.
Middelberg said Nel and Masemola had laid a charge of intimidation at the Wonderboom police station.
But Maluleka said in the case docket, Masemola had laid a charge against another councillor not Mothaune.
Masemola confirmed this saying she laid a charge against two ANC members whom she believed acted on Mothaune’s instruction.
She said her entire body hurt.
In her defence, Mothaune said: “When the attack took place, Masemola was inside the chambers and I outside.”
Maluleka said: “I saw Masilela and Nel arguing over her phone. I think he mistook her for a journalist and I told him that she was a councillor.”
Maluleka said Masilela apologised to Nel and that he was shocked to learn Nel had laid a charge of assault and intimidation against Masilela.
“I didn’t see him hit her,” Maluleka.
EFF Tshwane spokesperson Brenda Phukuile said ANC members blocked the entrance to the chambers on Tuesday morning preventing other members from entering.
“They even broke down the door to the chambers,” Phukuile said.
Phukuile rubbished Maluleka’s allegations that EFF members had interrupted Friday’s workshop by entering the chambers with guns.
“We can’t enter the chambers with guns because there is heavy security. We get searched, even our handbags get searched,” she said.
The next council meeting is at the end of October.
Also read:
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Choas at second council meeting
DA and EFF councillor allegedly assaulted at council meeting
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