SEDIBENG.- The EFF in Sedibeng has described what took place at the Emfuleni Local Municipality’s (ELM) Mid-Term Budget Adjustment Sitting recently as “thuggery”.

The party said that it rejects what it said is the illegitimate outcome of the results, where allegations have surfaced that the ELM Speaker, Sibongile Soxuza rigged the votes in favour of the budget, despite the ANC and its coalition partners lacking the required numbers to legally adopt the budget.

“Firstly, by forcing Council to vote by a show of hands instead of a roll-call, particularly within a council with narrow margins such as Emfuleni, violates the prescripts of Section 160 (2) and (3) of the Constitution as well as Section 30 of the Municipal Structures Act.”

Secondly, the party said, the ELM Council requires 46 votes to pass any budget.

This made it mathematically impossible…

“The ANC and its coalition partners do not command these numbers. In fact, during the very same sitting, the ANC had already expelled one of its councillors. This made it mathematically impossible for the ANC to pass the budget without the support of the FF Plus, the DA, and the EFF,” said the EFF’s Gauteng Communications Officer, Dumisani Baleni.

The party states that the era of the ruling party abusing state institutions is soon coming to an end.

The sooner they accept this…

“The sooner they accept this, the better.”

The DA and the FF Plus have since opened cases of fraud against ELM Speaker, Sibongile Soxuza while the ELM has declared the results valid and standing.