Gauteng MK Veterans outraged by the removal and assault of Comrade Mzwandile Masina and other ANC councillors from the chambers of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council and call for an official enquiry and appropriate legal action

4 April 2022

Gauteng MK veterans who were gathered at a Policy Meeting on Saturday the 2nd of April 2022 in preparation for the all inclusive MK Unity Conference - among other issues that were discussed - took note of the outrageous treatment that comrade Mzwandile Masina, in his capacity as Ekurhuleni Councillor and leader of the Ekurhuleni ANC Caucus, received. Specifically, how he and other ANC Councillors, were accosted and assaulted in the council chambers of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council.

It is noted that the DA led coalition who are now in charge of the Ekhurhuleni Metropolitan Council, has since its inception displayed an acute disposition to repressing democratic debate, and simply refuse to be held accountable for their conduct.

During the State of the City Address debate on Thursday the 31st of March, this coalition - led by the DA councillor, Mayor Tania Campbell, - again displayed the same intolerant conduct and tendency to repress and muzzle democratic engagement and debate.

The ANC councillors, as the Official Opposition, in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council, were executing their democratic right and duty of oversight by raising points of order, specifically with regards to the unacceptable situation where they were denied documentation that they needed in order to assess the performance of the Mayor, her Executive, and overall coalition team.

It furthermore transpired that questions from ANC councillors, for written reply, had not even reached the Speaker, DA councillor Raymond Dlamini, and that this unacceptable situation made proper Council engagement impossible. When such gross procedural incompetence was questioned by councillor Mzwandile Masina, as the ANC Caucus party leader, instead of adhering to his perfectly rational and proper requests, the Speaker abused the Council Standing Orders and ordered members of the Metropolitan Police Department to remove councillor Masina and other ANC councillors from the council chambers, and from the OR Tambo Precinct. In the process of carrying out this illegal, undemocratic, and repressive order, members of the Metropolitan Police assaulted councillor Masina and other ANC Councillors.

This is an entirely outrageous and unacceptable situation, and the MK veterans of Gauteng support councillor Masina in his decision to lay charges of assault. We are furthermore shocked that members of the Metropolitan Police, most of whom were employed during councillor Masina’s term as Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council, could conduct themselves in such a despicable fashion. They should be ashamed of themselves. It is a disgrace that these members of the Metropolitan Police allowed themselves to be abused to carry out the dirty work of an undemocratically minded and repressive DA Mayor and Speaker.

As MK veterans we call on the Metropolitan Police to do deep and proper introspection about their despicable conduct. Through their behaviour they have sadly allowed themselves to become a repressive tool against accountability and democracy.

This is most certainly not what the role of the Metropolitan Police should be. Thus we call for a full OfÞcial Enquiry into the conduct of the Metropolitan Police ofÞcers who carried out the illegal order to remove councillor Masina and other ANC Councillors.

Those responsible should, in addition to the charges of assault that are being instituted by councillor Masina, be arraigned and face disciplinary procedures for their un-procedural conduct within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Command. As concerned MK veterans we will carefully monitor how this situation unfolds, and if needs be we will, as concerned citizens (some of us who are also residents of Ekurhuleni), join comrade Masina in pursuing legal charges against those responsible.

Issued by Thanduxolo Gorbachev Dyodo, MK Veterans Gauteng Inclusive Coordinator, 4 April 2022