Pretoria - If you thought the shenanigans at the first two Tshwane Metro Council sittings were over the top and unprecedented, think again.
Councillors on Thursday hurled sexist and racist remarks at each other in a day that started with ANC caucus leader Mapiti Matsena taking pot shots at the DA-led administration.
He blamed the DA for introducing a new system that required councillors to identify themselves at the entrance. He likened the system to the apartheid “dompas”, which forced black people to carry proof of identity. Matsena said the system had caused some ANC members to be excluded from the meeting.
His remarks were, however, met with heckling and screaming from the DA councillors.
Matsena also suggested that the meeting was not legitimate because it was not publicised seven days prior, as prescribed by law.
Matsena constantly referred to the EFF as being in a marriage with the DA. The statement angered the EFF members who wanted him to withdraw it, but he refused.
After his refusal, the council Speaker Katlego Mathebe ruled that his conduct be referred to the rules and ethics committee. Matsena was told that he was constantly abusing privileges to make points of order.
In one of the altercations, Matsena referred to EFF councillor Ncobile Mhlongo as “he”. But Mhlongo was offended and insisted that Matsena withdrew it and refer to her properly as a “she”. “I am not a he; I am a she,” she told him.
Earlier, Mhlongo remarked that the ANC councillors were puppets of a criminal and had been captured.
ANC councillor Aaron Maluleka had a go at Cilliers Brink of the DA and accused him of being the real mayor of the city.
Maluleka also criticised Msimanga for not providing water to the people of Hammanskraal. “The people of Hammanskraal would have liked to join the celebration of Mamelodi Sundowns, but they didn’t have water to bath,” he said.
Maluleka also clashed with DA councillor Karen Meyer, who had pointed a finger at him. “Don’t point at me. If you are undermining your husband at home, don’t bring it here,” he fumed. He asked her to clarify if she had introduced a new lingo of insults at the council sitting.
In another war of words, EFF councillor Obakeng Ramabodu called the ANC councillors the Guptas’ choir.
When he was asked to withdraw, he said: “Who are the Guptas?
“If you know that you are not the Guptas please chill. You are not the Guptas.”
He eventually withdrew his statement.
Mathebe was accused of having allowed the meeting to be dominated by ANC councillors.
“We are here to make decisions. My request is that we should not allow people to rise on a point of order for more than 20 times on the same point of order,” a DA councillor said.
Some councillors threatened to sort out their differences during the lunch break if Mathebe could not address them in the council chamber.
In one instance, ANC councillor Collen Marishane stood up and went to confront Brink, pointing fingers at him. That was after Brink had exchanged bitter words with Maluleka, who said he was being disrespectful.
When he was ordered to sit down Maluleka said: “Call that young racist to sit down, first.”
Just like last month, the meeting continued well into the night.
Pretoria News