ANC regional deputy chairman, Jongizizwe Dlabathi has been elected Ekurhuleni City chief whip.
This follows the resignation of Democratic Alliance (DA) member Khetha Shandu.
Shandu refused to resign before the metro council sitting on Thursday, paving the way for Dlabathi to be elected by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The former chief whip faced a no-confidence motion against DA member and speaker Raymond Dhlamini.
DA ward councilor Pieter Henning also resigned this week, but will serve until February 28.
‘Better leadership’
According to ActionSA, this shows that the DA has failed to govern in the City.
“The resignations of Henning and Shandu further reinforce ActionSA’s belief that the DA-led coalition government has failed to address the decline in services in Ekurhuleni.
“Therefore, we call on Mayor Tania Campbell and her mayoral committee to accept their failure and step down for better leadership in the multi-party coalition,” ActionSA Gauteng Chair Bongani Baloyi said.
“ActionSA left the coalition government in the City of Ekurhuleni in November last year, due to concerns about mayor Campbell and his executive failing to improve service delivery.
“At that time, ActionSA chose to be a constructive opposition in the council, keeping the pressure on the coalition government to prioritize services and address the concerns of residents.
“For too long the people of the City of Ekurhuleni have been let down by successive governments – including the current administration.”
Campbell was briefly ousted in a motion of no confidence last year, but was re-elected after a political row between the ANC and the EFF failed to reach an agreement.
forbid
Thursday’s council took place after the Johannesburg High Court this week ruled in favor of Dhlamini.
The Speaker has submitted an urgent application to prevent the sitting of the Ekurhuleni council, which the City manager, Imogen Mashazi, has called for January 30.
The council hearing was adjourned on Monday after the court granted a restraining order. The brief litigation was preceded by a chaotic council that sat a week ago.
Dhlamini, on January 26, presided over a council meeting that included an agenda on her fitness to hold office.
But the proceedings were delayed due to the alleged refusal of Dhlamini to move the no-confidence motion on the agenda, which also included items such as the auditor-general’s report, among others.
The speaker instead tried to get a vote on the important motion to push the adjustment budget to the agenda, much to the disappointment of the EFF.
EFF councilors surrounded Dhlamini in an attempt to force him to table two more motions that stalled the council meeting, which was then adjourned.