The Lekwa Municipality’s mayor, Mr Linda Dhlamini, and speaker, Ms Makhosazana Khota, were removed from council on Monday, 10 February.
By all accounts, an overwhelming majority voted in favour of the motions.
The council meetings of the municipality seem to be a breeding ground for overflowing tensions in the cut and thrust of debate.
The previous meeting on Wednesday, 5 February at 2pm was no exception.
The windows of the council chamber were shut when singing outside proved disruptive.
The code of conduct for councillors that hangs on the wall, was at that meeting, in stark contrast to shouts of ‘out of order’ and ‘order please’.
Security guards were told to leave at one stage and arguments between respective factions resulted in the meeting being adjourned at 2.40pm.
A police presence later on at the entrance, public gallery and in the chamber was noticeable.
A representative from the office of the Auditor-General was also seen at the meeting.
Adjourned meetings do not sit well with the DA, especially since the meeting to remove Ms Khota and Mr Dhlamini on 20 November 2018 was adjourned.
Mr Tornado Kambule of the DA put a motion of no confidence forward as regards these two officials.
“The motion was discussed and a secret ballot was proposed,” Mr Rosier de Ville, caucus leader of the DA, said.
According to him, the result was announced and it was then proposed that a secret ballot was the only way to determine the outcome.
The previous council meeting on 31 January was also adjourned.
Mr De Ville argued at the above meeting that two items not on the agenda, namely the list of cases against the municipality and the 2018-motion, should be decided on.
Ms Sithi Silosini, PR councillor of the DA, said that council only had been holding special meetings and no ordinary meetings for a long time.
A second motion to remove the chief whip, Ms Mapaseka Molaba, was also a bone of contention.
Mr Ben Mosikedi, ANC-councillor, intended to move a motion in council for the removal of the chief whip.
The document was addressed to the speaker and mayor and duly signed on 8 January. It would have been filed in the offices of the municipal manager and speaker on the same day.
Councillors entered into debate after the speaker said that another legal opinion is necessary to argue the motions and shouting was the order of the day.
Ms Khota was of the opinion that the motions not be discussed because she sought legal opinion and wanted the agenda to be dealt with.
The DA pointed out that Lekwa’s legal department had already been consulted.
Ms Khota and some councillors walked out and left the remaining councillors high and dry.
It was decided to apply for a special council meeting and a document was duly signed and a date, 14 February, agreed on to discuss the two motions.
“I have for the past 14 to 15 years never seen such rude behaviour from people from the same party,” Mr De Ville reflected on Thursday, 6 February.
“A point of order is not interpreted correctly either, since you are only allowed once to talk about one subject.
“It is against the spirit of robust debate.”
The Standerton Advertiser sent a WhatsApp-message to the communications manager of the Lekwa Municipality, Ms Thobeka Mtshiselwa, on Thursday, 6 February, requesting comment from the speaker on the council meeting.
The following questions were asked namely whether she approves of the councillors’ conduct and whether she is going to have a different approach when the two motions are going to be debated.
The newspaper also asked whether she thinks adjourning a meeting has the desired effect and who called the police and why.
Ms Mtshiselwa replied on Friday, 7 February that the speaker did not have comment on the matter.
According to Ms Sithi Silosini, DA PR-councillor, the council meeting was adjourned on Friday, 31 January while the motion, to remove the speaker, Ms Harriet Khota, and mayor, Mr Linda Dhlamini, is technically speaking, still on the agenda.
The meeting in November 2018 was adjourned as well.
“It was absolute chaos,” Ms Silosini commented on the latest meeting.
According to her, the speaker had to recuse herself because of a conflict of interest. Ms Khota requested advice from the legal department.
The DA put a new motion to remove the chief whip, Ms Mapaseka Molaba, forward on Wednesday, 5 February. This motion was withdrawn on 10 February.
