By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The motion of no-confidence against Ekurhuleni mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana has been postponed by the council speaker Nthabiseng Ntshaveni after a gruelling hours.
The day was marred by delays and disputes over the prioritisation of the auditor-general’s report, protest action outside the chambers.
Ekurhuleni was granted an unqualified audit opinion for the first time in three years.
ActionSA which tabled the motion, was confident that it had the numbers to back its request, with its former multiparty coalition partners and the ANC supporting Ngodwana’s removal.
However Fullview understands that the ANC caucus was divided, with some supporting Ngodwana’s axing, and some worried about its implications on the parties’ relations in other metros where it is co-governing with the EFF.
ANC council chief whip, Jongiziwe Dlabathi, said they are not happy with the adjournment.
“We’re not happy with the manner in which the situation has been handled. We think it’s abrupt, and it did not allow for any debate in council to the extent that the sponsor of the motion was able to give their own feedback for the Speaker to make a final determination”.
Dlabathi said the regression from a clean audit in 2021/22 to an unqualified audit opinion in 2022/23 is mainly due to non-compliance with the supply chain management policies.
“The disappointing audit outcome signals a lapse in the internal controls that were maturing and subsequently producing the back-to-back clean audit during the ANC-led City of Ekurhuleni. Furthermore, this confirms our observation about the sudden lack of prudent political oversight on matters of finance and supply chain management.”
The DA staged a walk out of council citing that the meeting was illegal. The party accused the speaker of starting another council meeting to deal with outstanding reports instead of resuming with the motion of no confidence on the mayor.
The DA’s Michael Waters said the ANC and the EFF were renegotiating.
“The ANC and the EFF are playing for time. They are trying to renegotiate their deal. The ANC is scared of the threats of Julius Malema that if they lose Ekurhuleni they will get kicked out of Johannesburg and other metros,” Waters said.
Waters said the DA would go back inside council chambers for the motion of no confidence vote.
“Once the extraordinary council meeting is concluded we will be going in to conclude the ordinary meeting of the 29th. We will be participating in the motion of no confidence against the mayor,” he said.
Waters said the DA was calling for fresh elections in the City of Ekurhuleni. He said this was the only solution to solve the stalemate among political parties.
The DA had also proposed a motion of no confidence against the Speaker of Council. This would be debated at the end of March.
ActionSA, FF Plus, ACDP and other opposition parties followed suit and left the chambers, disgruntled at the shuffling of the business of the day.
After a short debate, Ntshaveni announced she would not be able to preside over the no-confidence motion as it stood, without seeking legal opinion on the validity of the proposed amendments and the subsequent implications.