By Luvuyo Sizani, DA Councillor, and DA Makana Caucus Leader
On 20 June, the Democratic Alliance (DA) tabled a motion of no confidence against the Executive Mayor of Makana, Yandiswa Vara. The motion was submitted to the Records section on the 24th of May 2023 and formed part of the Special Council meeting that took place on 20 June in the Council Chamber.
Throughout the water crisis which is crippling our city and our municipality, the Executive Mayor has been silent and has not demonstrated the leadership required of a person in her position. At no stage did she communicate any message of assurance to the community that she was handling the matter, nor give the residents any confidence that the water crisis would be dealt with effectively. Service delivery issues reside with the mayor, and in times of crisis, she needs to communicate, be available, be present, and be visible. As the DA, we believe that she fell far short of this. A leader takes personal ownership in a crisis, even though many challenges and factors lie outside their control.
During the Council meeting, the ANC refused to allow discussion and debate on the motion, voting (illegally) to prevent the matter from even being considered by Council. When the issue of whether Council would consider the motion was put to the vote, the ANC councillors voted against it being discussed, citing that the substance of the motion was untrue. Even if this is indeed the case, this cannot be grounds for the matter not to be discussed, and would be the subject of debate. The DA voted in favour of it being discussed, while the Makana Citizens Front (MCF) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) abstained from voting.
It must be noted that more than 2500 residents of Makana signed a petition supporting the DA’s motion of no confidence in Mayor Vara. This is clear evidence of her undesirability as the political head of our municipality.
The Democratic Alliance will not be deterred from ensuring that our communities get the services that they deserve. We will continue to challenge the municipality, the Mayor, and the ANC on issues that have negatively impacted our communities.
