SIYABONGA SITHOLE
City of Joburg Mayor, Dr Mpho Phalatse, has condemned the violent behaviour of some ANC and EFF councillors who disrupted the proceedings of the city council sitting on Thursday.
In a video that trended on social media, members of the EFF and ANC council are seen manhandling city council officials. According to the mayor, members from the ANC and EFF tried to forcibly remove council speaker, Vasco Da Gama during the city’s 7th Extra Ordinary council meeting which sat to decide on city administration and management appointments.
The mayor said the assault on councillors and other officials at the Constance Connie Bapela Council chambers did not reflect and represent the behaviour of councillors whose duty is to discharge service delivery issues affecting ordinary citizens.
“On behalf of the multiparty government, I condemn in the harshest terms, the violence incited by the ANC and EFF councillors who attempted to forcibly remove the speaker of the council during the 7th Extraordinary Council Meeting that sat to make decisions about the appointment of council and city administration senior managers, including the city manager,” Phalatse said.
The mayor also questioned the use of hard hats which she said were used as weapons by the accused ANC and EFF councillors.
“The presence of hard hats and their use as weapons in council is something we must relook for safety of all councillors, officials and residents who attend sittings,” she said.
The mayor said some of the councillors who were assaulted were women adding that, it was not the first time that such scenes had been seen in the chambers.
“This is not the first time that we see violent scenes of this nature in council, despite criminal charges being laid with the SAPS previously. I recently followed up on the investigation and there has been little to no progress. The lack of appropriate action from law-enforcement agencies fuels these violent acts in council, and reinforces the reality that gender-based violence and criminality in society are not treated urgently,” she said