#HandsOffJoburg: A victory for Joburg, residents, rule of law

25 October 2022

Please find attached a soundbite by Dr Mpho Phalatse.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes today’s judgment in the High Court, which upheld the rule of law, and showed Speaker of Council, Cllr Colleen Makhubele, and the ANC acted illegally, dishonestly and unconstitutionally by effectively staging a coup in hastily removing the duly elected Executive Mayor of Johannesburg and Members of the Mayoral Committee.

Judge Raylene Keightley expressed this in her judgment when she stated:

“I find that the Speaker was not lawfully permitted to treat DA Councillors as if they had no right to participate in the Council meeting because they had refused to sign the register. This means that she acted unlawfully, and contrary to the prescripts of the Constitution and the Rules in refusing to permit them to speak; in refusing to consider their request for a caucus break; and for refusing to permit them to object to or to vote against the motion of no confidence. It follows that she also acted unlawfully in treating the motion as being unopposed. Her conclusion that it was unopposed, and hence to refuse to permit any debate on the motion, was fatally tainted with illegality through her unlawful refusal to permit DA Councillors to participate in the proceedings of the Council…”

This judgment should act as a warning to politicians across the country, who are prepared to do anything, even undermine the law, to grab power for the sake of accessing resources, instead of doing the work they were elected to do and delivering quality services to residents.

Over the last few weeks, we have been engaging with various political parties and stakeholders who do not want to see service delivery in Joburg collapse under a corrupt government. Therefore, I will call an immediate meeting of the reinstated Mayoral Committee. The residents of the country’s economic capital deserve a capable and stable government that will repair and rebuild Joburg.

In this time, we will also be reviewing all decisions made by the illegal ANC Executive, especially those that sought to facilitate corrupt acts in the City. The taps of corruption will once again be closed so that we can keep the lights on, water running and residents safe. Residents will once again begin to see and feel a different and better Joburg.

This is indeed a victory for the rule of law and the residents of Joburg.

Issued by Mpho Phalatse, Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, 25 October 2022