By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has granted the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni an urgent interdict to halt a special council sitting.
The DA and council Speaker, Raymond Dhlamini filed an urgent application to interdict a special sitting of the Ekurhuleni council, which City Manager Dr Imogen Mashazi called.
The urgent court application was argued two hours ahead of the start of the special sitting. Dhlamini is facing a motion of no confidence vote, which was brought by seven minority political parties at the Ekurhuleni council.
The adjourned council sitting follows last Thurday’s sitting which descended into chaos and collapsed after political parties fought inside the council chambers in Germiston.
Dhlamini asked that the court to interdict the Monday council sitting until it hears a complete application seeking to set aside Mashazi’s “unlawful” decisions, which include the calling and convening of Monday’s short-lived meeting.
Mashazi wrote to councillors on Friday stating substantive reasons had been provided to motivate for the special sitting.
She was requested to convene the sitting by minority parties represented in the council, who had also filed motions of no confidence in Dhlamini, which were scheduled to be heard last Thursday before the sitting collapsed.
The ANC and EFF, who are planning to boot out the DA from its Gauteng metros, are in the process of ironing out a pact that would see the red berets taking over the running of Ekurhuleni and the ANC returning to power in Johannesburg.
Ekurhuleni is a hung municipality, with no political party holding a majority in the council.
The DA governs the metro in a minority coalition with the African Christian Democratic Party, Cope and Freedom Front Plus.