Johannesburg - The EFF in the City of Ekurhuleni has questioned the judgment of the Johannesburg High Court to reinstate Raymond Dlamini as the Speaker in the municipal council, but has warned that he will face another motion of no confidence.
Dlamini had been voted out of power by a majority of councillors in a council meeting a few days ago, but he challenged the legality of the meeting and the actions of the city manager, who continued the meeting that ousted him in his absence.
EFF Gauteng chairperson, Nkululeko Dunga said the EFF respected the decision of the court. He said Dlamini was delaying the inevitable. Currently, the DA is leading a minority government in the City of Ekurhuleni, with a great chance that both Dlamini and the mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Tania Campbell will be voted out of office in motions of no confidence.
“The court has made a decision, and we do not abide by the court’s decision. It must be clear that we feel that we followed the process and procedures outlined in the Structures Act. However, the court came to a different determination in terms of what the process and procedures should be,” he said.
Dunga accused the DA-led coalition of not caring about the residents of Ekurhuleni and clinging to power. He said it was clear that the DA would be unable to govern with the poor numbers they have.
“Their time is up. There are motions that we are going to table before council. Even in the adjustment budget, how can the council give an adjustment budget to a coalition that has collapsed?” Dunga asked.
he said that if the DA leadership leaves office, the EFF would like to see a leadership arrangement similar to that of Johannesburg, which has a government of local unity with a mayor from a minority party.
DA leader in Gauteng, Solly Msimanga said he welcomed the ruling of the courts in favour of the DA. He said that the illegal actions of some opposition parties were preventing the multi-party coalition from carrying out its responsibilities to residents.
“The DA in Gauteng welcomes the judgment of the High Court vindicating the DA’s fight against the disruption of service delivery through state capture and the crooked politicisation of civil service offices in Ekurhuleni. This sets a precedent that democracy and the rule of law, the foundations of delivery-focused government, cannot be undermined by the ANC-EFF-led coalition of corruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ANC in Ekurhuleni has also accused the DA of trying to rule municipalities through the courts.
The Star