Joburg speaker falls from grace

Perhaps Joburg speaker Colleen Makhubele is trying to live up to her T-shirt motto, “girls can do anything”.

For a person whose party received 0.22% of the Joburg vote in the 2021 local government elections, she has reached unusual heights.

Exploiting weak leadership in her party, the Congress of the People (Cope), and in the fractious ANC/EFF coalition, she has grabbed the limelight.

Last month, she was described in Daily Maverick as the most visible speaker in the city’s history.

ALSO READ: Cope fires Joburg speaker Colleen Makhubele

She has been “expelled” from her minuscule party on multiple occasions, only to bounce back when it emerges that those trying to get rid of her were not a dominant faction.

It may be early to write off reports about Makhubele’s Cope membership being terminated. Maybe not.

Vacating office

If she is no longer a member of Cope, she is no longer a councillor in terms of Section 27(c) of the Municipal Structures Act. Under the heading, “Vacation of office”, the section says: “

A councillor vacates office during a term of office if that councillor… (c) was elected from a party list … and ceases to be a member of the relevant party.”

Just to be clear, Makhubele was not elected as a ward councillor. She was on a proportional representation list for Cope. Ward councillors cannot be removed in the same way.

Even the derisory 0.22% of the vote was not garnered by her in person, but by the vanishingly small party she represents. Without that party, she has no standing in the city, no matter how much flattery emanates from fatuous councillors.

ALSO READ: Colleen Makhubele: The rising star in Joburg politics

It may take a while for whatever is left of Cope to prove her membership has been terminated, thus triggering her exit.

Then, there is the separate matter of the status of the South African Rainbow Alliance (Sara) that, since Sunday, has erected posters bearing her photo, urging people to register to vote. I have posed written questions to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

Uncertainty for the city

A detailed reply is still awaited, but the IEC did advise via WhatsApp that the “party is in the process of registering”.

Note, “party” – as distinct from alliance – which is not yet registered but is erecting posters bearing the image of Makhubele as its president and candidate.

I have been unable to establish the legality of such posters but there is a whiff of something not right.

This does not bode well for the stability of our city. We are due to have council meetings on 29 and 30 November and 13 December.

These are now in doubt because of the turmoil in the speaker’s office.

The city manager, who may in some instances act in the speaker’s place, was recently found by the high court to have been illegally appointed.

ALSO READ: ‘I have ambitions too’: Joburg speaker, Colleen Makhubele eyeing Cope’s top position

An appeal is pending. The speaker is supposed to preside over a meeting of the programming committee on Friday, where the DA intends to table a motion to dissolve council.

Makhubele may be using this chaos to once again elevate her image.

We have a useless puppet mayor from a 0.35% party, a constitute speaker from an even smaller party and a shadow over the city manager. Let’s get rid of the lot. Call fresh elections.