ANC Gauteng province welcomes decision by MEC Maile on the Speaker of Tshwane and the former Speaker of Joburg
23 January 2020
The African National Congress Gauteng Province notes and welcomes the decisive decision by Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Lebogang Made, to suspend the former Speaker of the City of Johannesburg. Councillor Vasco Da Gama for three months without pay, and the Speaker of the City of Tshwane, Councillor Katlego Mathebe for six months.
The reasons advanced by the MEC as to 'why he took this hard and not-so-desirable decision are compelling, especially when one takes into account the questionable conduct by the two councillors respectively which brought the councils of the cities of Tshwane and Joburg into disrepute.
Da Gama and Mathebe placed the narrow interests of their political party, the Democratic Alliance, ahead of those of the residents of the two municipalities when they deliberately acted in a manner that sought to subvert the unfolding of democratic processes in council.
Correctly so, the MEC exercised his responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution and various legislation to take decisive action against unbecoming behavior by any elected public representatives within the sphere of local to those that accuse the MEC of “bullying tactics” the ANC holds the view that the failure of the MEC to act in this instance would have had serious implications for the proper functioning of municipal councils. This would have led to a wrong precedent being allowed to set in where council processes can be hijacked with impunity without any adverse consequences.
The ANC Gauteng Province cans on all public representatives across varying political interest to always act in a manner that seeks to advance the interest of the people of Gauteng. We have a mammoth task of growing Gauteng together and this can only be achieved through strengthening cooperation in the various municipal councils and in the provincial legislature.
Issued by Bones Modise, Head of Communication, ANC Gauteng Province, 23 January 2020
