Coalition Forces Council to Consider Motion of No Confidence in Speaker on Monday
25 March 2023
The multi-party coalition in the City of Tshwane has received confirmation that a special council meeting will be held on Monday 27 March 2023 to consider a motion of no confidence in the Speaker of Council.
This follows from a petition submitted by all councillors within the coalition, who constitute a majority of council, demanding that such a meeting be convened given the patently unlawful actions of the Speaker of Council in adjourning the meeting on Wednesday. This adjournment was a blatant attempt to protect his coalition partners in the ANC and EFF from losing the vote now that their programme of vote buying has been exposed and reversed.
On Thursday, the multi-party coalition issued legal papers to the Speaker and a petition calling for a special council meeting to be called on Friday 24 March to elect the Mayor and consider the motion of no confidence in the Speaker. Despite the Speaker being compelled to call a meeting at the instruction of a majority of councillors, as stipulated in Sec 29(1) of the Municipal Structures Act, he simply ignored this directive.
“29 (1) The speaker of a municipality council decides when and where the council meets subject to section 18(2), but if a majority of the councillors request the speaker in writing to convene a council meetings, the speaker must convene a meeting at a time set out in the request.”
The Speaker, along with his coalition partners in the ANC and EFF, appears content that the City of Tshwane be crippled without the political leadership that directs the service delivery programmes of the municipality as long as they cannot buy the votes to govern themselves.
Through issuing a further directive and petition for a meeting on Monday, the Municipal Manager has now called for the council to meet on Monday to consider the motion of no confidence in the Speaker. Sec 29(1)(A) of the Municipal Structures Act provides for the Municipal Manager calling a council meeting in the event that the Speaker refuses to do so.
“29(1)(A) If the speaker or acting speaker refuses to call a meeting of the council as requested in terms of subsection (1), the municipal manager, or in the absence or refusal by the municipal manager, a person designated by the MEC for local government in the province, may call and chair the meeting.”
By removing the Speaker on Monday the ANC and EFF will not be able to use this position to frustrate the majority voters awarded our multi-party coalition from electing a new Speaker and Executive Mayor for the City of Tshwane.
This outcome is a victory for the residents of Tshwane who have endured weeks of instability directly arising from the artificial removal of a majority of the coalition through what is believed to be a programme of vote buying.
All parties in our multi-party coalition have acted with commitment and collaboration in the work of righting the wrong that took place when Makwarela was elected Mayor on 28 February. These parties continue to stand together to serve the residents of Tshwane by getting back to the business of delivering services to all communities.
Media Enquiries:
Statement issued by Dr Cornè Mulder on behalf of the Multi-Party Coalition in the City of Tshwane, 25 March 2023
