DA Shadow Member of the Mayoral Committee (SMMC) and councillor for Ward 93, Annette Deppe, was ‘requested’ to leave a Midrand Region A Councillor Forum meeting on the afternoon of 16 March after tweeting a comment about proceedings.
Deppe said this was irregular as there were no rules against councillors tweeting. She said, “A community development worker (CDW) was present in a Councillor Forum – and I tweeted that I felt it inappropriate to have him present during the discussions. Within seconds of my tweet, the regional director and ANC councillors of the Councillor Forum saw red and took it upon themselves to ‘chastise’ me for my actions, demanding that I leave the forum.”
Chief Whip of the City of Johannesburg council, councillor Prema Naidoo responded to Deppe’s allegations and said, “In all forums of council it is expected that councillors will behave in a manner which is constructive. Furthermore, it is expected that the rulings of the presiding officer will be respected and carried out at all times by councillors and officials in the meeting. The presiding officer on several occasions asked councillor Deppe not to tweet during the meeting. She defied his instructions and, therefore, I do believe that the measures taken against her may have been appropriate and justified.”
He further said Deppe’s assertion that CDWs are not allowed in forum meetings is wrong. “The CDWs are representatives of the MMC of Local Government and Housing and have historically attended Councillors’ Forums. The Office of the Chief Whip does not regard this as irregular. Furthermore, the CDWs are invited to these forums.”
Deppe also claimed that she was treated this way because she was the only DA councillor present at the meeting. To which Naidoo said, “It is the contention of the Office of the Chief Whip that all councillors, irrespective of party allegiance, should be treated fairly and with respect. If Deppe believes she was treated unfairly she is welcome to report it to the Office of the Speaker as well as the Rules Committee,” he said.
Having been aware of the Chief Whip’s response, she said she would indeed take up the matter further with both the Rules Committee and the Office of the Speaker. “If one takes a look at the terms of reference for CDWs, nowhere does it state that they are allowed to attend Councillor Forum meetings. His attendance at the meeting should’ve been agreed upon by all councillors at the beginning of the meeting, up front, then I would’ve been happy,” said Deppe.
She further said she was not laying the complaint because of the CDWs presence but rather because of the way she was treated following her tweet. “I believe I was bullied and that their behaviour was out of line with the rules,” Deppe asserted.
