LIMPOPO – Conny Lentsoane, a single mother of two who was first sworn in as a councillor on 15 March, was dismissed by Speaker Lorraine Madisha for wearing capri pants.
During proceedings, Madisha ordered the councillor to stick to “presentable and formal” attire, and dismissed her. According to the Speaker, capri pants resemble Bermuda shorts, a clothing item listed on most municipalities’ council dress code policies as an inappropriate clothing item. “Capri pants are like shorts or Bermuda shorts, and the dress code is formal. The DA is blowing this matter out of proportion. If ANC councillors were to wear the same outfit, I would order them to leave too,” said Madisha.
Lentsoane said she was humiliated by the incident. “I cried when I got at home. I need answers from the Speaker. She simply started the meeting by saying I was improperly dressed and that they would excuse me.”
DA Limpopo Chairperson, Langa Bodlani said the DA takes exception to the way in which the matter was handled, and demands an immediate apology from the Speaker.
“Lentsoane’s outfit did not undermine the decorum of the council. The order for her to leave proceedings borders on sexism and has no place in a democracy,” he said. As a result of her dismissal from the meeting, constituents who elected her as their DA councillor were denied representation on a number of important items scheduled for the day, said Bodlani.
He said a letter was directed to the Speaker in this regard, and should an apology not be forthcoming, the DA will escalate the matter to the Commission for Gender Equality.
The Speaker meanwhile said she had thought Lentsoane would change and come back to the meeting. “She just left and I thought she would return,” said the Speaker.
According to Madisha, fellow DA councillors neglected to introduce Lentsoane to the codes applicable in council meetings. This, however, was refuted by another DA councillor in the same municipality, Glady Pesadi, who said the Speaker neglected her duties with regard to Lentsoane.
“When Lentsoane attended her first council meeting, one ANC councillor simply asked, ‘We see a new face here, who is this?’ instead of the Speaker introducing her to council,” she claimed.
This is not standard protocol, according to Pesadi.
“The Speaker blamed the DA for not introducing Lentsoane formally. The truth is that we informed council in writing of her joining council after having replaced another councillor.”
A council member of the ANC, who was wearing a tracksuit jacket during the sitting, was not removed, according to Pesadi.
“The Speaker simply said he was dressed appropriately.”
CV has since established that the Ephraim Mogal Municipality has not adopted a dress code for council sittings. According to one councillor, all attendees simply agreed to dress “formal” for meetings.
