Special ELM council meeting ends in chaos

The disruption by opposition councillors and early closure of proceedings was harshly condemned by Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe in a media statement after the failed meeting  in the Mayoral Parlour in Vanderbijlpark yesterday (16 March).

The disruption prevented a R260 million roads programme between the Gauteng Provincial Government and ELM from being adopted and approved and thus delayed improvements to 40 roads in Emfuleni.

The council meeting did not address, as opposition politicians had hoped, a notice by coalition member councillors to introduce a motion of no confidence in Radebe – although the matter was acknowledged by The Speaker.

For now, the GLU remains in place with only one member  – Mayoral Committee Member S Mahlasela of the Vaal Lekgotla Party – having previously announced his resignation in writing, but post-dated to 24 March 2023.

Mayor Radebe did not address the issue of an upcoming motion of no confidence in him by coalition members – including Mahlasela – but thanked Mahlasela as the MMC for Sport, Recreation, Arts, Culture, Libraries and Cemeteries for his services.

Radebe said the Gauteng Provincial Government had allocated R260 million to fix 40 Emfuleni roads to underpin service delivery in the region.

The council meeting disruption follows weeks of high political drama in the GLU, with a number of coalition partners – including the New Horizon Movement and the PAC – publicly stating their intention to leave the coalition and giving notice of  a vote of no confidence in Radebe (ANC).

Solidarity, another coalition member, has reportedly reversed its decision to resign from the GLU.

This week’s disrupted council meeting was held in the ELM Mayoral Parlour in Frikkie Meyer Boulevard in Vanderbijlpark on Thursday and took place a day after ANC Councillors besieged the building en masse demanding to see Mayor Radebe to put grievances to him.

A sharp rise in tension in recent weeks and a dispute over top posts at ELM resulted  in coalition partners indicating they intend withdrawing from cooperating with the ANC in what was until now one of the more stable coalition arrangements in Gauteng.

But Council Speaker Sibongile Soxusa did formally acknowledge the notice submitted on Monday by three coalition GLU members of their intention to trigger a motion of no confidence in Mayor Radebe.

However, Speaker Soxusa denied a request to hold the motion at Thursday’s Council meeting, saying the rules stipulated at least 14 days notice for such a motion.

ELM Council business was also disrupted before considering and approving the appointment of a permanent Municipal Manager for ELM, now occupied on an acting basis by April Ntuli.

Vaalweekblad has reliably learned that Ntuli was recommended for the position after he was appointed acting Municipal Manager late last year after previous incumbent Lucky Leseane’s contract extension was withdrawn by Gauteng Province on procedural grounds.