The presence of EFF councillors at the City of Joburg Council on 28 September made it possible for the council to carry out its duties. Previously three council meetings collapsed due to quorum issues, following walkouts by the ANC and the absence of EFF councillors.
EFF spokesperson in Johannesburg, Silumko Mabona, said they have boycotted council sittings based on a principled decision which they took as a party.
“We decided to not participate in council sittings because we felt the needs of our people were not taken seriously. Last year, as the EFF, we tabled a motion about evictions, pointing out that no evictions must be done in Johannesburg by the City,” Mabona said.
Mabona could not guarantee that his party would attend all upcoming sittings. “Our attendance will depend on what is on the agenda. We will attend if there are serious service delivery issues that need to be passed.”
He also mentioned that his party wanted the City to prioritise servicing people in the informal settlements.
Getting down to council business, the much awaited institutional review report‚ which will look at the possible reintegration of city entities like City Power, Pikitup and Metro Bus, received a nod as councillors voted for it.
Among other things, the council also approved quarterly reports and the public consultation proposal for the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The IDP public consultations will include extensive public engagement to make sure that the City’s spending and priorities best reflect residents’ needs and act as the primary tool guiding the delivery of services within the City. The IDP public consultations will include extensive engagement to ensure that the City’s priorities reflect residents’ needs and will act as the primary tool to guide service delivery within the City.
The ANC caucus left early as they had to attend a memorial service of one of their councillors. Their absence didn’t affect the quorum.
Also read:
WATCH Joburg Today: Chaos at council meeting – EFF no-show and ANC walks out
