
The council meeting in Tshwane, during which a new mayor had to be appointed. (Photo: City of Tshwane/Twitter)
A special council meeting will take place on Monday with the aim of considering a motion of no confidence against the speaker of the Tshwane council, Mncedi Ndzwanana.
This after the speaker on Wednesday adjourned a council meeting during which a new mayor had to be elected. Members of the multi-party coalition in Tshwane believe that this action was illegal and they have therefore drawn up a petition to ask that a special meeting be held on Monday. The petition was signed by all the councilors within the coalition.
A special council meeting has already been scheduled for Tuesday, with the aim of making a third attempt to appoint a new mayor for the City. However, the DA wanted this meeting to have already taken place on Friday and sent a legal letter and a petition in this regard to the speaker.
In a statement on Friday, Ndzwanana acknowledged receipt of these documents, but nevertheless indicated that the council meeting will take place on Tuesday. “It is my heart’s desire that a new mayor can be appointed as soon as possible, so that the city council can function normally,” he said.
The City is still leaderless after Randall Williams resigned as mayor in February. His successor, Dr. Murunwa Makwarela, was dismissed as a board member soon after, as he was declared insolvent in 2016. If Monday’s motion succeeds, a new speaker will first have to be elected before the election of the mayor can proceed.
The multi-party coalition is convinced that members of the EFF-ANC coalition are doing everything in their power to delay the appointment of a new mayor, so that the ANC-led provincial government will have reason to intervene and take control of the Tshwane council. can take over.
“By removing the speaker from office on Monday, the ANC and EFF will not be able to use this position to delay the process of electing a new speaker and mayor,” coalition parties said in a joint statement on Saturday.