Tshwane DA seeks legal recourse after EFF council outburst

In a video circulating on social media, EFF Tshwane leader can be seen making several utterances, which the DA has labelled as hate speech.

Itumeleng Mokoena

4 hours ago

EFF Tshwane regional leader Obakeng Ramabodu

The Tshwane DA caucus will explore legal action following alleged hate speech and racist remarks by EFF Tshwane leader, Obakeng Ramabodu.

On Thursday, a council meeting in Pretoria collapsed after the simmering tensions between the ruling DA coalition and opposition parties EFF and ANC escalated.

The meeting was scheduled to pass important reports on service delivery matters, however, it was abruptly shut down and postponed.

In council, tempers flared after the opposition councillors demanded an apology from the Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink over remarks he had made in the media.

Brink’s remarks suggested that the ANC’s planned motion of no confidence is not about service delivery but a retaliation against the DA for cutting off their income sources through new stringent measures for waste removal contractors.

This led to 60% of old contractors being dropped for not meeting the new requirements.

The EFF and ANC demanded an apology from Brink following the accusation of ongoing corruption and mismanagement.

The ANC was further frustrated after Brink allegedly labelled them as “drunkards” with opposition parties then resorting to disturbing council proceedings to demand an apology.

The Speaker of Council Mncedi Ndzwanana asked the mayor to withdraw and apologise.

However, Brink refused to apologise because the remarks were not made in council. This led to chaos, insults, and even veiled threats of physical harm.

During the outburst, EFF leader Obakeng Ramabodu was allegedly threatened with physical violence.

This led Ramabodu to retaliate by saying, “I would be happy to moer a boer. I want the blood of an Afrikaner, that would be nice. I want the blood of an Afrikaner. I want it.”

Video footage from the meeting showing Ramabodu saying the above statement has been widely circulated.

Ndzwanana ordered Ramabodu to apologise and withdraw the statement which Ramabodu then did.

When threats were again made, the Speaker adjourned the meeting.

DA Caucus spokesperson Kwena Moloto said they condemned the remarks by the EFF leader.

Moloto said the DA is exploring legal avenues to hold Ramabodu accountable.

“Councillors are leaders of society, and such irresponsible remarks by councillor Ramabodu can have real-world consequences.”

He denied that the mayor called the ANC and EFF “drunkards”.

“In an interview earlier in the week, he used the analogy that handing the city back to the ANC now would be the equivalent of putting a hard-drinking person in charge of a bottle store. We can’t allow the ANC to take us backwards again.”

This political turmoil is at the heart of the ANC’s intention to file an urgent motion of no confidence against Brink.

https://x.com/TshwaneEff/status/1816507373411770622

In a statement, the EFF in Tshwane said it was aware of the video circulating which was “selectively edited by certain individuals to suit their narrative”.

The EFF said its leader Ramabodu raised a motion and was met with hostility and threats of violence “from a group of white reactionaries”.

“In the heat of the moment fighter Ramabodu responded to the provocations [in the manner he did],” read the statement.

The EFF caucus said the attempts by DA to take this matter to the human rights commission is a way of silencing Ramabodu.

“Obakeng Ranabodu’s response was a direct reaction to the threats and aggression he faced from a group of reactionaries, explicitly stating their intention to beat him up, prompting his retort,” said the EFF.

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