The October 29, Ekurhuleni General Council meeting was marked by an intense debate between councillors and the Executive Mayor, Mondli Gungubele. Gungubele presented a speech at the beginning of the meeting which honoured late, ANC president Oliver Tambo and he quoted both Tambo and his wife, Adelaide, extensively. The mayor recapped the events of OR Tambo Month, describing the festivities and public appearances made by Ekurhuleni officials during October that culminated with a wreath-laying at their gravesite.
Gungubele expressed his condolences to families who had been affected by violence in Etwatwa and commended all involved in bringing stability to the area. He also welcomed the new Chief of Police, Bafana Andries Mahlabe, to his position. The mayor brought particular attention to Ekurhuleni’s Clean and Green campaign which aims to target illegal dumping among other things.
Following the mayor’s speech, councillors raised issued that they felt had not been adequately covered. Democratic Alliance (DA) Clr Fortune Mahano mentioned the issue of corruption, particularly in the area of human settlements. Service delivery was mentioned as a key area of improvement for the Metro. Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (Irasa) representative, Clr Izak Berg, saluted OR Tambo in his response to the mayor’s speech but also brought attention to low collection rates in Ekurhuleni.
The mayor responded to questions from council generally but specifically asked that Clr Berg “rescue himself from anger” as he asserted that the councillor was prone to using angry language.
After the debate, council continued, without councillors from the DA, Irasa and VF+ as they excused themselves from the meeting due to ongoing proceedings regarding the appointment of the Ekurhuleni City Manager.
