Speaker slams ‘opportunistic’ DA

GERMISTON – The Speaker of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality council has rubbished calls by the DA that they should step down describing them as ‘opportunistic and cheap politicking’.

This happened after the Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the speaker of being ‘out of order’ after she allowed Clr Hendrick Shilabe even though the DA had used up its allocated time.

The DA said in a statement, “In an obviously orchestrated move the Speaker, Clr Patricia Kumalo, allowed Shilabe to speak after she had already announced that the DA had taken up all of its time. This is unprecedented in the Council chamber.

“Kumalo ignored several points of order as the chamber descended into chaos. During the commotion Mashego admitted to the DA’s chief whip, Andre Du Plessis, that Kumalo was out of order and agreed that Shilabe should have been removed from the chamber.

“However, Mashego took no steps to make that happen, as was his duty.”

Speaker of council, Clr Kumalo said, “I cannot believe that the party is side-stepping the issues raised by their former member to call for me to quit office because of the way I handled the matter in council.

“The fact of the matter is that in a democracy you allow the views of other people when they ask to address you.

“Clr Shilabe raised his hand and asked to address me personally and I allowed that. He never said he was addressing me as a member of the DA but a councillor in the house and I had to give him the chance because I did not know what this was about.

“The councillor raised serious issues of racism in the DA and handed over affidavits to me with a request that I should assist them as ‘black’ DA members in the party to raise the matter with the South African Human Rights Commission.

“This is when some DA councillors then jumped off their seats and charged at him, manhandling him in the process. I had to call security at some stage because I feared for his life”

According to the DA, a case against one of its members for racism was heard by the party’s provincial and national structures, and in both cases the accused was found not guilty.

The speaker says her numerous calls for order came to nothing as the DA caused commotion in the council and brought the house into disrepute.

“Instead of them apologizing for their unprofessional behavior, they now turn around and point fingers at me and the chief whip.

“They should be talking about the allegations that their own member was raising instead of looking for scapegoats. I am not apologetic about the way I handled the situation and I find it laughable that they are calling for my resignation,” Clr Kumalo explains.