A CITY of Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee (MMC) has threatened to attend the next council meeting wearing a T-shirt with German dictator Adolf Hitler’s face in protest against a pro-Israel DA councillor.
PAC councillor and member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for Community Development, Tebogo Nkokou, this week reacted angrily to DA ward 72 councillor and shadow MMC for Development Planning Daniel Schay, who addressed council wearing pro-Israel regalia.
“I also want clarity. I will also come with a T-shirt with the face of Hitler and our flag. I will do that because you allowed this to happen,” Nkokou told Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu.
He continued: “Next council I will come here with (a T-shirt) with the face of Hitler because these people are killing innocent children there and women. This is through an illegal state (Israel). We took them to the International Court (of Justice).”
Nkokou insisted on Thursday that he would carry out his threats. “I’m going to do that in the next sitting,” he said.
Another councillor screamed, ”We want Hitler!” as Nkonkou took his seat after his point of order.
ANC councillor and the city’s chairperson of chairpersons Adolph Marema also took issue with Schay “wearing, proudly so, symbols of Israel”.
“We welcome all religions as prescribed by the Constitution of South Africa, including the religion of the Jewish. What we can’t stand is apartheid Israel,” he said when DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku objected.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said Marema was misleading the House.
“First of all, are Jews and their religious symbols not allowed in this House anymore? Are Jewish people, South African Jewish people with their religious Star of David, not allowed in this chamber anymore?” she asked, adding that she needed to have the matter clarified.
However, Mthembu shot down Kayser-Echeozonjoku, saying the council could not debate Marema’s closing remarks.
The council meeting also rejected a DA motion to reverse the 2018 decision to rename Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive after the Palestinian freedom fighter.
DA ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackleford had indicated that since the motion was passed, significant political and social changes have occurred, and it has become clear that proceeding with the renaming would be controversial and potentially divisive.
“Much has changed politically since the decision to rename the road, and to continue with this process now would be both controversial and ill-advised,” reads Shackleford’s motion.
She added that councillors have received extensive feedback from the Sandton community and surrounding areas expressing strong opposition to what she described as unnecessary renaming due to concerns of the expenditure as well as the city’s ongoing service delivery challenges and constrained budget.
“Given the city’s pressing priorities, such as addressing critical infrastructure, improving service delivery, and managing limited resources, this renaming initiative would detract from more urgent concerns,” Shackleford warned.
On Friday, Schay said he was considering his options but has not contacted the Speaker to investigate and take the matter to the ethics committee for violation of the code of conduct for councillors and the standing rules of the council.
“There are other options I am considering. We cannot express the level of anti-Semitism and hatred that he expressed and expect us to just accept it. It’s unacceptable behaviour as a member of the executive of the City of Johannesburg; he should be apologising on his own accord, but he will not do so. We will take it further because we cannot have the executive of the city behaving this way and openly disrespecting, insulting and displaying prejudice to a section of the population of the city,” he said.