According to the DA, party councillors staged a walkout in protest of the city council’s decision not to hold a debate, stating that it was in the interest of Joburg residents that the budget be debated before being approved.
DA councillor Victor Penning accused city council speaker Connie Bapela of “riding roughshod over opposition parties and denying residents of the city their right to representation on the over budget”.
“Councillor Bapela put the cart before the horse when she ruled that the council should vote to pass the full operational and capital expenditure budget before she had allowed debate on critical items in the house.”
However, city council spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said following opening proceedings “a budget debate ensued with every party represented in council expressing their political views on the budget, thereafter the MMC for finance responded on all statements.”
The city council approved the budget by a majority, noted the DA’s dissent and only four councillors abstained, he said.
He explained that the DA decided to stage a walkout after a DA councillor requested an opportunity to address council, and the speaker of council, applying the standing rules of council, denied the request.
However, he said, the sitting still formed a quorum after the walkout and continued with its business.
Meanwhile, Penning also objected to the city council’s rates and services tariff increases.
“In a city where resident’s expenses are higher than their income, the proposed above inflationary tariff and rates increases are, quite simply, unacceptable.”
Following the announcement of the increases, economists and analysts expressed concerns saying the increases were disproportional and would have an adverse effect on consumer spending.
However, the city council did not respond to questions regarding whether it would review the increases.
