Council meeting stopped after fight between EFF and DA

A City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) ordinary council meeting was adjourned on November 30 after a brawl between EFF and the DA councillors.

This was after the EFF expressed their ‘disgust’ at a DA councillor accused of making racial slurs.

The EFF said the party will not tolerate ‘arrogant and shameless white racists’ who show no remorse for racism.

Soon after the council was supposed to commence, the EFF attacked DA members and promised ‘to teach them a lesson’ which led to some DA councillors being injured.

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This was not welcomed by other political parties as councillors accused the speaker of council failing to maintain control and allowing the meeting to collapse.

Ekurhuleni DA caucus leader, Ald Tanya Campbell said the speaker did not control the situation, allowing the council meeting to collapse.

“She sat idle while the EFF physically assaulted councillors. Once matters escalated violently, the speaker abruptly adjourned the meeting and walked out, leaving the EFF councillors to continue the assault on the DA councillors,” said Campbell.

She said the councillor accused of racism was not in council as he has resigned.

“The speaker was aware of the resignation. A letter was submitted to her office. This was planned by the EFF to avoid council business.

“It served as a diversion tactic because they did not want the institutional review. If the review goes through, the EFF will lose one of the MMC positions,” said Campell.

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ActionSA also shared the DA’s sentiments about the speaker as Ekurhuleni causes leader Siyanda Makhubo said the EFF delayed the council from discussing important issues.

“Today council would have dealt with compliance issues including the annual financial statement from the auditor general which needs to be sent back to the auditor general for rectification.

“The EFF collapsed the meeting to prevent approval of the institutional report which will see the city correcting several inefficiencies needed for critical service delivery,” said Makhubo.

“Action SA will be writing to the speaker to subject the EFF and speaker to the ethics committee to find long-lasting solutions to the impasse.

“The adjournment of council meetings results in a fruitless expenditure which directly affects the crippling financial system of the city,” said Makhubo.

ANC caucus whip Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the ANC is disappointed in the events that transpired.

“Before the meeting was supposed to start there were instances of disruptions. That disruption continued even after the speaker of the council read an order. We condemn what happened,” said Dlabathi.

He said the ANC would have preferred the speaker to salvage the council meeting.

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“We are not happy that all the provisions of the standing orders were not implemented to salvage the meeting but we have noted the reason to adjourn the meeting,” said Dlabathi.

The speaker, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga said. “The people’s government is committed to serving the people”.

She said the reasons to adjourn the meeting were from the multiple disturbances in the council.

“I took the decision to adjourn the meeting due to the altercation that took place in the council chambers.

Furthermore, we also had a power failure and sound system issue.

“Councillors got physical and we then revoked Rule 72.2 that gives power to the speaker to adjourn council meeting due to grave disorder,” said Tshivhenga.

The council is scheduled to meet again on December 7.