THE newly elected City of Tshwane Speaker, Mncedi Ndzwanana, has dismissed the special sitting called to have him voted out through a motion of no confidence.
In a brief address on Monday 27 March, Ndzwanana said on Friday 24 March he received a notice of petition from the city manager Johann Mettler, asking that they convene a special sitting.
He said the notice came to his office after 4pm, which is outside working hours.
“My office received the petition on Friday at 4.30pm outside normal working hours. I did not say no or refuse to call this meeting.
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"I believe the petition does not meet the minimum requirements set out in the legislation. That means this meeting is illegal, and all that was in it has fallen out, and this meeting is adjourned."
Ndzwanana said 10 signatures forming part of the petition needed to be more credible.
He said based on the above explanation, he is of the view that the petition that doesn’t not meet the minimum requirements as set out in the legislature.
The multi-party coalition said they submitted the petition signed by all the councillors within the coalition, who constitute a majority of council, demanding that such a meeting be convened due to what they call “patently unlawful actions” of the Speaker of Council in adjourning the meeting on Wednesday, 22 March.
The multi-party coalition spokesman Dr Corne Mulder said the adjournment was a blatant attempt to protect his coalition partners in the ANC and EFF from losing the vote now that their alleged vote-buying tactic has been exposed and reversed.
He said on Thursday, 23 March, 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.”
Mulder said by removing the speaker, the ANC and EFF will not be able to use this position to frustrate the majority voters awarded their multi-party coalition from electing a new speaker and executive mayor for the City of Tshwane.
The ANC and EFF in Tshwane have objected to the motion of no confidence vote in Speaker.
EFF regional chairman, Obakeng Ramabodu, said they are of the view that the meeting was unlawful, and they will state their case.
