STAFF REPORTER
THE multi-party coalition in the City of Tshwane says it has received confirmation that a special council meeting will be held on Monday 27 to consider a motion of no confidence in the Speaker of Council, Mncedisi Ndzwanana.
This follows from a petition submitted by all councillors within the coalition, who constitute a majority of council, demanding that such a meeting be convened given the “patently unlawful” actions of the Speaker of Council in adjourning the meeting on Wednesday.
Ndzwanana, Speaker of Council and a councillor from the African Transformation Movement (ATM), said last week that he adjourned the council sitting to elect a new mayor in order to seek legal advice regarding the removal of COPE’s councillor Justice Sefanyetso.
“This adjournment was a blatant attempt to protect his coalition partners in the ANC and EFF from losing the vote now that their programme of vote buying has been exposed and reversed,” said Dr Cornè Mulder on behalf of the Multi-Party Coalition.
“On Thursday, the multi-party coalition issued legal papers to the Speaker and a petition calling for a special council meeting to be called on Friday 24 March to elect the Mayor and consider the motion of no confidence in the Speaker. Despite the Speaker being compelled to call a meeting at the instruction of a majority of councillors, as stipulated in Sec 29(1) of the Municipal Structures Act, he simply ignored this directive.”
Ndzwanana postponed the election of a new mayor to seek legal advice after he received two letters on the withdrawal of Justice Sefanyetso from both COPE president Mosioua Lekota and City of Joburg Speaker Colleen Makhubela, who is also a COPE member.
“I would like to thank the speaker of Johannesburg for making time. When I requested her to come and clarify she agreed. On that basis I am going to continue seeking legal advice. In other words, having said that this meeting is adjourned until further notice,” he said.
INSIDE POLITICS
