Africa-Press – South-Africa. Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse says the multiparty government and coalition are stronger than before.
Phalatse was speaking ahead of Wednesday’s extraordinary sitting of council to elect a new speaker after Vasco da Gama was ousted at the beginning of the month.
She said despite the events that lead to the vote of no confidence in Da Gama, the coalition had regrouped and “ejected councillors who allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for their votes, and those who undermined the coalition agreement”.
Phalatse said charges had been laid with the police to investigate the bribery allegations.
“While the noise of our political opponents’ disinformation campaign has quietened down, we are aware that behind the scenes they continue to agitate the work of the multiparty government, which last week delivered its Golden Report, which provided residents with transparent feedback on the work we have done since taking office, with a focus on getting the basics right.
She added:
“I appeal to all councillors, regardless of political affiliation, to abide by the council agenda and to conduct themselves in a manner that shows the residents of Joburg that they come first.
“Theatrics and other political posturing for headlines do not serve the residents of Joburg. The residents deserve the best from those that they elected.”
Phalatse’s comments come on the back of a six-page statement issued earlier on Tuesday by the ANC Greater Joburg regional secretary Sasabona Manganye.
The statement referred to “the collapse of the City of Johannesburg”, and said the Golden Report “demonstrates the performance decline in the city.”
In it, Manganye took aim at the mayor, accusing her of 20 issues that range from “hiring a criminal” to “failing to fix potholes”.
“We find ourselves at a crossroad as a society.
“Collectively we must make the decision on whether we remain on the same spot, or do we move forward, right, left, or backwards?
“It is a fact that no political party won an outright majority to govern the City of Johannesburg. As voters, we find ourselves being governed through decisions made elsewhere and not by you, who actively participated in the ballot box process….”
Manganye added: “This … has resulted in the collapse of our beautiful city we call home. For some of us the City of Johannesburg is our first love. We are made to believe in a vision driven by a multiparty government that has no respect for the rule of law, especially the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.”
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