Another DA councillor bites the dust
JOHANNESBURG – He is the third member of the DA to be expelled for defying the party.
The DA in Johannesburg has expelled its defiant councillor Anthony Still after he had disobeyed the party and refused to stage a walk- out at a Council meeting that took place on 30 January.
Still remained in the meeting, joining the ANC and its partners where the DA Chief Whip Kevin Wax and the Chair of chairs Alex Christians were booted out through motions of no confidence on them. He is the third member of the DA to be expelled for defying the party after, ward councillors Basil Douglas and Vinay Choonie were axed for attending a council meeting despite an instruction from the DA to abstain.
Leader of the DA in Joburg Funzela Ngobeni confirmed that Still’s membership in the party had been recently terminated. The DA had walked out of the meeting because it held the view that ANC’s speaker Nonceba Molwele was an illegitimate speaker.
“Still went through a disciplinary process which was referred to the federal legal commission. The process was completed and recommendations were referred to the federal executive committee which decided to terminate his membership. This behaviour is unbecoming and people make their own decisions. It was important for the party to take disciplinary action.”
When asked about his membership termination, Still said he was not surprised. “I am not surprised by the party’s decision, it is what I had expected. I had to follow the caucus’ instructions which I disobeyed and I have to face the consequences. I also think the DA is acting on legal semantics and not on issues of governance.”
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Still is no stranger to controversy in the DA. In 2017, he was removed from the mayor’s executive committee by former mayor Herman Mashaba after the two disagreed on a decision to fire a City Power director. Still who was MMC for Environmental and Infrastructure Services was axed after he disagreed with Mashaba on firing the entity’s managing director, Sicelo Xulu.
However, he insisted that his recent decision to defy the DA caucus had nothing to do with past differences. “I had a fallout with Mashaba and I was vindicated on everything that I had opposed him on. It wasn’t a happy failure at the time, it took some time to get over it. I remained disappointed with the DA under Mashaba’s leadership but this was not done to spite the party. I have nothing against the DA.”
While Still said he had no political plans, the DA is expected to appoint another proportional representative councillor in his place.
What are your views on the defiance of DA councillors?
