City of Tshwane council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana has once again managed to avoid a motion of no confidence after he adjourned a meeting where a motion was scheduled for debate on Wednesday.
This after the DA-led multi-party coalition’s failed attempt to prevent Ndzwanana from presiding over a special council meeting and from engaging in any disruptive behavior during meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
The coalition had requested that the city manager, Johann Mettler, oversee the special meeting instead.
While the court dismissed the application for Ndzwanana not to chair the meeting, DA councillor Jacqui Uys urged him to follow the rules of the country while presiding over the meeting.
Meanwhile, EFF regional chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu defended the court ruling and accused the DA of making baseless claims of violence against his organisation.
In response, Ndzwanana said he would not allow councillors to raise points and motivations that had already been dismissed in court.
“The court allowed me to chair this meeting. The points you are raising were raised in court and they were dismissed,” said Ndzwanana.
“So, I am going to preside over this meeting. I will follow the rules and not your feelings.”
Speaking to the media outside council chambers, Funzi Ngobeni, ActionSA Gauteng chairperson, called the speaker’s decision illegal.
Ngobeni said ActionSA would consult with its legal team and stated, however, that the multi-party coalition remains hopeful it will be able to appoint its preferred councillor as the new speaker despite the adjournment of the meeting.
“We are dismayed by this ruling. It is an illegal ruling in our view. We will now consult our legal team to find a way forward,” said Ngobeni.
“Its nonsensical, you cannot rule out a petition based on a person that has resigned. When that person was still councillor, he signed that petition.
“We expected this, the EFF and the ANC had already pledged to frustrate us in getting to where we are supposed to go … but we are up for it, we will get our speaker here.”
Ramabodu welcomed the speaker’s decision and the court ruling, saying the EFF will give the newly elected Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink a 100-day period to demonstrate his capability.
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