By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
City of Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse has served court papers on speaker, the City, and members of the programming committee to halt extraordinary sitting of the council.
The sitting was called for voting on a motion of no confidence in the mayor – a move which could see the ANC reclaim governance of the metro.
In the documents, filed with the High Court in Johannesburg, Phalatse states that procedures were not followed to call the programming meeting and that some members of the committee were notified at the very last minute.
The coalition will need at least 136 votes to ensure that Phalatse is not removed, but this is not possible without the backing of the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
The row within the coalition led to the PA voting with the opposition in the City of Joburg which saw Congress of the People’s (Cope’s) Colleen Makhubele officially announced the speaker on Wednesday, 28 September.
ActionSA which is part of the multiparty coalition in the city and has been at the forefront of suggesting that the agreement between parties be reconfigured to allow the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) to occupy the Speaker position in Johannesburg’s council.
The position has been vacant since the removal of Vasco Da Gama through a motion of no confidence.
However, DA Federal Council chair Helen Zille refused any changes being made in a letter she sent to the coalition technical task team on Sunday.
Zille’s letter prompted the PA to abandon the coalition and vote with the opposition to install Makhubele.