Councillors in the City of Johannesburg have voted against a motion to dissolve the council.
The motion was brought by DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku on Thursday.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku expressed serious concerns about the state of governance in the city and called for the dissolution of the council.
She highlighted issues such as inefficiency, internal conflicts, political power struggles, and a lack of substantial progress in addressing pressing concerns.
Missed opportunity
According to her, dissolving the council is an opportunity to reorganise the city’s governance and better meet the needs of residents in Johannesburg.
Sixty-eight councillors supported the motion with no abstentions, but the majority comprising 165 councillors did not throw their weight behind the idea.
Reacting to the outcome of the vote, Kayser-Echeozonjoku accused councillors of safeguarding their jobs over the interests of residents.
She said their conduct makes it even harder to save the city.
“Councillors have today voted for their jobs and personal comfort above that of our residents,” she said.
“Thousands of residents have signed our petition, and similarly, hundreds of thousands would have had the opportunity to vote again.
“The City of Gold is now experiencing first-hand just how bad the situation can get at the hands of the Doomsday Coalition [an alliance between the ANC, EFF and other smaller parties].
“Rescuing the city is now more difficult than ever, but we will not be stopped.”
Mayor criticises the DA
City mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, a product of the alliance, expressed frustration with the DA, accusing the party of attempting to gain political relevance at the expense of service delivery.
Gwamanda emphasised that the current council reflects the democratic choices of the citizens. The mayor also accused the DA of undermining the electorate’s wishes.
He asserted that the DA’s approach seems to prioritise the party’s government over fostering good governance and democratic outcomes.
“Through frivolous litigations and motions, the DA has sought by all means to collapse and render Johannesburg dysfunctional, as it has done in Tshwane,” said Gwamanda.
“It has sought to collapse every tenet of good governance and democratic outcomes to satisfy an insatiable appetite to lead the city.
“We have reached a stage where for the DA it’s either a DA government or no government.”
