The 8th Extra Ordinary Council Meeting of the Johannesburg city council to vote for a new speaker, 28 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Political parties in the City of Joburg council have warned the Democratic Alliance (DA) that they will continue with business as usual even if the DA continues to stay away from council proceedings.
Yesterday, the DA was a no-show at an extraordinary council sitting to elect a speaker.
This resulted in African Independent Congress councillor Margaret Arnolds being elected unopposed as speaker.
In a letter to ANC chief whip Sithembiso Zungu, the party said: “Please note that we, the DA caucus, are unable to attend the meeting today due to the short notice period and prior commitments that our councillors cannot cancel at this late stage.”
But in a statement, DA Joburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said its councillors were boycotting the sitting as it was a waste of money.
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“The DA will not be complicit in such a waste of money and will therefore not be attending the meeting.
“Our position remains clear, the Johannesburg council must be dissolved and we will not give legitimacy to the doomsday coalition while they are being frivolous with taxpayers’ money.”
She said there was no need for the metropolitan municipality to spend R600 000 on an extraordinary meeting just to elect a speaker when an ordinary council sitting was set to take place next week.
ActionSA Gauteng leader Funzi Ngobeni said it was disappointing for the DA not to show up in council and the reason that they had other commitments was irresponsible.
Ngobeni said the DA’s failure to come to council showed the lack of commitment to the residents of Johannesburg.
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“As councillors of the city, what other commitments will you have than attending a council meeting?
“This is not the first time the DA has let the council down,[it’s] at least four times now,” he said.
“We tried to remove this government having managed to get the Patriotic Alliance (PA) on board, but they refused to work with us to take back the city.”
“The reason we are going to have an ANC-EFF speaker is because of the DA. What is happening is because the DA is playing political gimmicks.”
He also lambasted the calls by the DA to dissolve council.
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“If the DA cannot work with us on getting the PA on our side to get a simple majority, how are they going to get a two-thirds majority?” he asked.
“Dissolution requires even more than the PA on our side, it requires even some of the ANC or the EFF. There is no genuine commitment to the City of Johannesburg.”
ANC caucus leader Dada Morero said it was regrettable that the DA took the view not to attend as it could have been proper for them to form part of the processes as they were elected councillors.
Morero said the DA had a responsibility to the council.
“Unfortunately, they chose not to attend. It is regrettable but there’s nothing much we can do about it,” he said.
He said the ANC welcomed the appointment of the new speaker.
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