DA voted out of key positions in Ekurhuleni
The EFF’s Nthabiseng Tshivenga was elected as the speaker of the Ekurhuleni council and the ANC’s Jongisizwa Dlabathi as chief whip of the council.
Kwatsaduza – The EFF and ANC coalition now occupy top positions in Ekurhuleni after the extraordinary council meeting held at the OR Tambo Government Precinct on Tuesday night.
The EFF’s Nthabiseng Tshivenga was elected as the speaker of council with 127 votes, while former speaker, Raymond Dlamini, who was also contesting for his reinstatement, received 76 votes.
The ANC’s Jongizizwe Dlabathi was elected as the chief whip of council with 128 votes, while Michael Waters received 75 votes.
The elections come after the former chief whip, Khetha Shandu, tendered his resignation, while Dlamini was removed last Thursday in a motion of no confidence.
During the sitting, councillors also approved the mid-term adjustment budget, which had been declined since January 26 when council re-opened for 2023.
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Responding to the approval, the MMC for Finance, Economic Development, and Information Communication, Fanyana Nkosi, said the adjustment budget would realign the city’s finances to give expression to the needs of residents on the ground.
“With the passing of this adjustment budget, we are now in a position to purchase waste compactors outright to replace our ageing in-house fleet. Our roads, which have been adversely impacted by recent rains and are riddled with potholes, can now be attended to.
“Long grass will be cut, and the cleanup of cemeteries, inner cities, and townships can now occur unabated,” said Nkosi.
He added that it is unfortunate that certain political parties, who chose to put their narrow interests ahead of residents, have delayed this process by more than a month.
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In a statement released by the ANC, the party said the election would bring normality to the work of council and the legislature.
“Our primary aim is to restore normality in council and ensure a capable city that is able to fulfil its constitutional mandate, as articulated in Chapter 7 on the objects of municipality.
“The speaker will steer objective oversight work and scrutiny as the legislature is firm in holding the executive and the administration to account.
“We have strong trust in the whip of council because he possesses solid skills, expertise and experience on matters of local governance and political management,” it stated.
Tshivenga said, as the EFF, they are going to use the power of the legislature and the speaker to be impartial in her approach and independent to ensure that councillors are able to express themselves in council.
“We will also hold the executive mayor accountable and ensure that service delivery reaches all the residents of Ekurhuleni,” she added.
