Polokwane Municipality’s meeting ends in disagreement

Polokwane Municipality’s first Special Meeting convened on Monday to deal with administrative matters such as representation in the council committees, failed to make progress when councillors of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) raised numerous points of order and were soon followed by members of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Councillors could after two hours of interruptions, disagreements and even an allegation that Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng was a liar, reach an agreement that the 14 Section 79 committees will be constituted of seven ANC, three EFF, two DA and either a member of the Congress of the People (Cope) or the Vryheidsfront Plus (VF Plus), as the last member.
Interruptions and points of order took the meeting so far from the items on the agenda that the dress code and the language to be spoken at council meetings became the topic of heated argument and resulted in councillors addressing the meeting in Sepedi and Afrikaans. The EFF claimed the council’s policy to use English as official language was unconstitutional, whereupon DA councillor Franco Marx pointed out that it would only be unconstitutional after the Constitutional Court has resolved that it was indeed so. “Until that day the council’s policy is in force,” Marx said.
At a point, Nkadimeng remarked that the Rules of Order of the council will only be in force after it has been adopted by the new council. Heated exchange between councillors followed and the matter remained unresolved with councillors seemingly having to agree that the council can not operate in a vacuum and that the Rules of Order should be enforced.
Council also deliberated on representation at the South African Local Government Association’s Limpopo Provincial Conference scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday (yesterday) and could again not reach an agreement. It was then announced that Nkadimeng, Speaker Mariri Ralefatane and Chief Whip Mamedupi Teffo, all ANC members, would be accompanied by the acting Municipal Manager, Fikile Mudau. This was met with furious objections from EFF members and Ralefatane had to hasten to declare the meeting closed.

Story and photo: BARRY VILJOEN
>>barryv.observer@gmail.com

Featured photo: Polokwane Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng.