Africa-Press – South-Africa. ActionSA has filed a motion of no confidence in Tshwane council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana, hoping to remove the African Transformation Movement councillor from his powerful position.
Ndzwanana was elected in March with the help of the ANC and EFF.
A bunch of spoilt ballots from DA councillors also helped ensure Ndzwanana’s election.
ActionSA, which had put forward its candidate for speaker in March, is now moving to remove him after a first attempt failed.
The party had filed a similar motion in April, but it failed and was dismissed by Ndzwanana as “frivolous”.
The motion is being considered and will likely be presented in council on 28 June.
The DA coalition governing Tshwane includes ActionSA, FF Plus and the ACDP.
The mayor is DA councillor Cilliers Brink who was elected successfully with a coalition majority.
DA Tshwane caucus leader Jacqui Uys said it was important the coalition agreement was implemented fully, and that was why the DA would support Ndzwanana’s removal and replacement with a member from the coalition.
“To ensure a stable coalition and government, it is important that the signed coalition agreement is implemented.
“We cannot have someone from outside of the coalition in a key position; this allows for opposition agendas to work against that of the governing coalition.
“We have seen this where in the past month’s important reports were not served and were delayed from end February to mid-June as the council meetings were postponed,” Uys told News24.
Johannesburg turbulence
This is the second motion of no confidence petition to be filed by ActionSA in Gauteng’s two metros of Johannesburg and Tshwane.
ActionSA had filed a motion of no confidence in Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda earlier this month.
The party had cited his unwillingness to be truthful about allegations he oversaw a fraudulent funeral scheme.
The motion in Gwamanda was supposed to be heard on 21 June, but speaker Colleen Makhubele moved the council’s agenda, which included the motion, to July.
ActionSA Gauteng leader Funzi Ngobeni said Makhubele was intent on protecting Gwamanda from the motion by using her political powers to shift the agenda item by a month.
“Speaker Makhubele and the ANC-EFF coalition, which elected Mayor Gwamanda, want to protect the mayor from accountability by delaying a motion against him.
“ActionSA believes Mayor Gwamanda has a serious case to answer and is not fit to be mayor when there are accusations that he defrauded the residents he was supposed to serve.
“ActionSA will continue talks with other opposition parties represented in the City of Johannesburg council to ensure that the office of the first citizen of this great city is occupied only by men and women of integrity who will put the interests of the residents first,” Ngobeni said.
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