Pretoria - Tshwane Council Speaker Katlego Mathebe would not bow down to pressure by the EFF and ANC to resign from her office with immediate effect.
Mathebe pronounced her stance on Thursday during a monthly council sitting, which degenerated into chaos when councillors from both the ANC and EFF staged a walk-out from Tshwane House Council Chamber again.
Councillors walked out after Mathebe rejected their demands to recuse herself from presiding over the meeting and resign immediately.
For months councillors in question have been at odds with Mathebe, who has been accused of bias and impartiality as council's presiding officer.
The prevailing bad blood between the parties has led to the collapse of at least three council sittings since the beginning of the year.
Mathebe said: "I have never indicated that I am resigning. I am not about to resign. I have no intention to resign."
She apportioned blame on both the EFF and ANC councillors for the collapse of previous council sittings.
"I convened the meetings and you are the ones who have walked out of the meetings even before the motions," she said.
Tshwane Council Speaker Katlego Mathebe is at the centre of a new storm between the ANC and DA. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)
The motions she referred to were related to her removal from office, including the removal of chief whip Christo van den Heever, chair of chairs Gert Pretrious and former Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa.
Mathebe said: "I am not the Speaker for life. I was not born a Speaker."
She was responding to demands made by the ANC's Johnny Mohlala and the EFF's regional leader Moaferika Mabogwana.
Mohlala said council previously sought to execute a resolution to remove herself and Mokgalapa, but Mathebe "refused us that democratic right to make use of the opportunity.''
He said Mathebe was not eligible to chair the meeting because the matter related to her was sub judice.
Regional ANC leader Dr Kgosi Maepa said the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Lebogang Maile appointed a legal practitioner to probe Mathebe's conduct as the Speaker.
"They have decided to go to court to take senior counsel Makola who was appointed by MEC Maile to investigate the speaker today when we arrived here in council we got papers from the DA that they want to take the matter to court," Maepa said.
Mabogwana echoed his sentiment, saying the EFF was willing to participate in the meeting provided that Mathebe tendered her resignation.
He said: "We want this council to appoint an investigator to investigate your conduct as the Speaker."
ANC councillor Terrence Mashigo said: "The day your political party decides that you must resign we will come back."