Cape Town - The ANC hopes to pass a motion of no confidence in mayor Patricia de Lille at Wednesday’s council meeting, because of concerns about “deepening levels of inequality” in the DA-led city council.
Opposition leader Tony Ehrenreich on Tuesday outlined the party’s main concerns, with the controversial renaming of Table Bay Boulevard after former president FW de Klerk being among the biggest gripes.
The council is expected to approve the name change on Wednesday.
“De Klerk is a problem in principle,” said ANC chief whip Xolani Sotashe.
He said De Klerk was a “key implementer of apartheid” with no regard for black people.
Ehrenreich said there was a general concern that the DA was “sanitising” its racist history of the National Party.
“This direction that the city is taking is profoundly anti-transformation and dividing the City of Cape Town even more along racial lines.”
The ANC had therefore applied to Speaker Dirk Smit for a special voting procedure that would allow for a closed ballot.
He said the party believed this would give “disheartened” DA councillors an opportunity to vote freely against De Lille.
Smit confirmed he had received the ANC’s request, but said voting would proceed on Wednesday in accordance with council rules.
The ANC also complained about the way the city had “undermined” the minstrels by going public with the associations’ payment problems.
“When funds and support are given to other organisations doing events in the city, they are not subjected to this kind of abuse.”
Ehrenreich said the ANC disapproved of the city’s handling of the South Road residents who faced eviction to make way for a MyCiTi route.
“There are alternatives available for the MyCiTi infrastructure requirements and the city must make use of those alternatives instead of uprooting residents.”
Cape Argus