Six hours after the ordinary council meeting in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) was scheduled to resume today, the speaker called for an extraordinary council meeting to be had first – an illegal action on her part.

In response, the Democratic Alliance (DA) refused to participate in the illegality and thus walked out of the meeting.

The much-anticipated Auditor-General (AG) report was due to be tabled in this extraordinary meeting. The problem with this, however, is that the previous council meeting was never concluded, neither was the business of the day. Therefore, calling an extraordinary meeting, before the former sitting of council was concluded is wholly illegal.

We believe in law and order and will always hold ourselves and our counterparts to that standard.

The meeting continued and will most likely end up in court. Yet another blot on the name of the already struggling CoE. What our counterparts do not understand is that if we cannot even uphold the rules of council, and hold one another to account within the legislative framework presented to us, how can we be trusted to execute our core mandate and deliver services to the people of Ekurhuleni.

Not only do they set a poor example of leadership, but they create a vacuum wherein the very findings of the AG report the EFF so desperately tried to hide, will blossom. While lawlessness may be embraced by the ANC and EFF, it has no place in our city.

The DA remains steadfast in our commitment to advocating for the dissolution of this Council. We are determined to provide residents with the chance to remove this coalition of disorder and lawlessness and elect a DA government that can rescue this city.

 

Issued by Cllr Fana Nkosi - DA Ekurhuleni Spokesperson for Finance