Councillors of Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) have raised concerns about wards being dysfunctional due to the council not having a permanent speaker.
The speaker position in RNM has been vacant for six months. The then-speaker, Zodwa Mzindle, was sworn in as the mayor of RNM.
During a council meeting on Tuesday last week, EFF councillor Mthetheleli Mkhize said the council can’t keep electing an interim speaker every time a council meeting needs to the chaired.
The IFP’s Clr Sfundo Ngwane was elected as the interim speaker for Tuesday’s council meeting.
Mkhize said: “I don’t know what is stopping us; nothing prevents us from voting for a speaker.”
Clr Leon Garbade of the DA also shared the same sentiments as Mkhize.
Garbade said the municipality needs a speaker not to run council meetings but to run an office.
“Costs are incurring in the speaker’s office while it is vacant. Never before have so many wards been declared dysfunctional as they are now because we don’t have a permanent speaker. We don’t have someone who sits in that office and presents us as the council,” he said.
He added that all they do is put more work on the mayor, which puts her in a position where she has to act as the speaker and mayor.
“Thank you, mayor, for acting as our speaker, chairing these meetings and running an office. Councillors of all levels in RNM, we need to fill that speaker position,” he said.
Sources previously told the Fever that there was a delay in electing the speaker because of the two names of ANC-preferred candidates that were brought forward.
They had said Ward 5 councillor and RNM Exco member Phumlani Gumbi could be sworn in.
Others claim that ANC Tolomane Mnyayiza Regional Executive Committee (REC) member Thuleleni Khanyase could be the new speaker.
However, the ANC provincial spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele, said they cannot reveal their candidate for the speaker position until they have communicated it with the ANC in the Tolomane Mnyayiza Region.
He said that filling the vacant speaker position is their top priority, adding that the matter would be finalised soon.
Meanwhile, RNM spokesperson Simon April said the concerns of councillors are valid.
“The speaker not only chairs council meetings but also looks into the performance of councillors in their wards and public participation. Not having a permanent speaker is a problem, but we are hopeful they will elect one soon,” said April.
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