DA councillor booted from GMM council meeting for not addressing Magagamela as the speaker

The DA’s newly elected Ward 25 councillor and also caucus leader, Encee van Huyssteen, was booted from the council meeting after a long argument with the speaker, Fikile Magagamela on Tuesday, December 6.

The argument began during a load-shedding spell when Van Huyssteen asked the speaker why the generator was not switched on.

Mgamamela demanded that Van Huyssteen address her as the speaker of the council and not merely by her surname.

The argument erupted when Van Huyssteen called Magagamela an incompetent speaker. The speaker then told Van Huyssteen to leave the council but he refused.

The speaker called for law-enforcement officers to remove the councillor from the chamber, but the officers were not available.

READ MORE: Men’s Voice said culture seeks to protect women and children

When Van Huyssteen asked the speaker on which standing order she was basing his removal, she referred to 34.1.
Magagamela then rose from her seat and went to find the law-enforcers

This stalled the council meeting for about an hour. When Van Huyssteen was removed, the rest of the DA councillors also walked out. The speaker then resumed the meeting.

The executive mayor tabled a special motion that Van Huyssteen be taken to the rules committee for his conduct in the council and that all the DA councillors be disciplined because they left the council without the speaker’s permission.

The motion was supported and adopted by the other councillors. The DA councillor, James Masango said they suspect the matter between Van Huyssteen and Magagamela is personal.

He said it is unfortunate that Magagamela misused her position.

READ MORE: eMbalenhle Police arrest 52-year-old woman for selling drugs

“The speaker mustn’t use her emotions but be calm in the council. She needs to answer councillors when asked questions.

“The speaker just walked away from her seat to look for law enforcers to remove our councillor without even announcing her decision or informing us as a council that she is taking such action.

“She did not adjourn the meeting before she stood up and left. Our councillor wanted to know on what rule she based his removal. She failed to provide that rule,” said Masango.

Masango said Van Huyssteen cannot be disciplined twice, because he was removed from the council.

Magagamela escaped a motion of no confidence tabled against her at an ordinary council meeting held in the council chamber on Thursday, March 31.

The motion for the removal of the speaker was forwarded by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and was supported by the DA, EFF, FF Plus, IFP and ARP councillors that are jointly in the majority.

The DA also took the matter to court to remove Magagamela as the speaker, but their application was unsuccessful.