A recent shock political move by the Mayor was firmly blocked as the ANC flexed its muscle in the City Hall this week.
A recent shock political move by the Mayor was firmly blocked as the ANC flexed its muscle in the City Hall this week.
In a week of drama in the Makana Council, Mayor Zamuxolo Peter reshuffled his top political executive. He announced the changes during a special council meeting on Monday 28 October, stunning councillors and prompting a long adjournment as ANC councillors frantically caucused.
In a press release issued soon after, the Mayor said his decision to reconstitute the Mayoral Committee was to speed up service delivery. The move included the axing from the exco of controversial councillor Paul Notyawa.
But in a clear show of strength, the ANC's regional executive arrived at the City Hall early on Wednesday morning.
Later at the special council meeting the Mayor was visibly nervous as he announced he was reinstating Notyawa and that the mayoral committee would return to its previous form.
"Allow me to remind you that the mayoral committee is appointed by the mayor…," the Mayor said. "Having applied my mind I have decided to reinstate the old mayoral committee as it was before the 28th of October."
Notyawa will go back to his position as chairperson of Local Economic Development and Planning, Mabhuti Matyumza will go back Public Safety and Community Services; Pierre Ranchhod to Finance; Nomhle Gaga Infrastructure and Engineering and Nombulelo Masoma will go back to Tourism.
Adding to the day's drama was a mass walkout by furious opposition councillors – a move the ANC later denounced as political grandstanding.
Earlier at the same special council meeting on Wednesday, a DA motion to oust the mayor failed, rejected by all 20 ANC councillors in an open vote.
The Speaker had blocked the DA's request for a secret ballot.
Citing various alleged procedural breaches, the DA Councillors later said they believed these were part of a deliberate strategy to prevent a secret ballot on a motion of no confidence in the Mayor.
In a press conference immediately after the walk-out on Wednesday 6 November, DA caucus leader Les Reynolds said, "We believe the Speaker deliberately misinterpreted the rules of order."
Reynolds said there had been at least two breaches of Council's rules of order.
"You needed a proper vote – a secret ballot. If that had happened, Council would have split," said DA councillor Brian Fargher.
The DA councillors told Grocott's Mail they firmly believed a secret ballot would have seen the Mayor ousted.
The mood at the City Hall has been unusually tense since Friday 25 October, when rumours the municipality was bankrupt spread after staff failed to receive their salaries.
The Mayor admitted the municipality was facing a serious financial crisis. Amid fears they would lose out on their November salaries and bonuses, municipal staff staged a three-day sit-in at the city hall.
A payment by Rhodes University meant staff salaries were paid.
In the motion of no confidence DA caucus leader Les Reynolds submitted against Mayor Zamuxolo Peter, he cited among other factors that the Mayor had lacked political oversight and leadership over the numerous infrastructural and financial crises during his term of office. The DA also noted in its motion that the Mayor had failed to adequately disclose details of the municipality's distressed financial position to Council and the MEC for Local Government.
The motion of no confidence in the mayor was seconded by councillor Brian Jackson.
The Mayor earlier apologised to the administration for the headache the exco reshuffle and subsequent reversion had caused.
"I would like to apologise to councillor Tame and the administration for any inconvenience caused," he said.
ANC REC secretary Scara Njadayi made it clear that with the latest move, the Mayor was following party orders.
"He reserves the right to do that as the mayor, but politically he needs to inform the REC about his intentions.
"Reshuffling a mayoral committee is not a problem, but removing a councillor from the mayoral committee is a matter for the ANC, because that councillor is a deployee of the organisation," Njadayi explained.
Njadayi, who observed Wednesday's Council proceedings, criticised the opposition for what he described as an emotional attitude.
"I was very disappointed by the opposition party's walking out when they were the ones who tabled a motion," Njadayi said. "They were supposed to stand their ground and articulate what they wanted… but they could not even substantiate the motion. Even the seconder of the motion wanted to table another motion… It is a sad indictment but this political grandstanding is not going to confuse Makana."
