Ekurhuleni council sitting postponed as ANC, EFF reach stalemate
Ekurhuleni residents may have to wait another seven days before the city’s council sits to elect a new mayor after Wednesday’s special meeting convened to replace Tania Campbell was postponed.
Council speaker Raymond Dhlamini made the announcement following numerous breaks to accommodate several parties that had left the chambers to caucus.
The Independent Citizens Movement moved for the postponement and was supported by several other parties including the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Congress of the People (COPE), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), African National Congress (ANC), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) among others.
At a press briefing, Dlamini apologised to residents.
“We are disappointed that we could not elect the mayor today…but we just want to assure residents of Ekurhuleni and apologise that we could not elect the mayor but hopefully in a few days we will be able to,” Dhlamini said.
Chief whip of council Khetha Shandu explained the next steps towards the elections of a new mayor.
“The act stipulates 14 days [for the election of a new mayor]. The issue of seven days came with the motion because we thought at the time that it was reasonable. Taking into account what happened today, we now still have another seven days to have the mayor elected,” he said.
He added that they are cautious and bound to play by the rules to avoid a repeat of the overturned motion against Mpho Phalatse in the City of Johannesburg.
While the reason advanced for the postponement request was reported as ‘technicalities’, it’s understood the EFF and ANC reached a stalemate over who they would support to take over from Campbell.
At the same time, moments after the tense talks that took the side-lines of the council meeting started; former mayor Mzwandile Masina, whose name had been bantered about at the ANC’s preferred candidate, announced he would not be contesting the top position or any other position in the council.
“I served the past five years as the executive mayor, the full term, and my organisation gave me the opportunity to stand for the second term but unfortunately, I lost. I’ve not stood, I am not standing, and I have not made myself available for any position. We are hoping the ANC will come out very strongly here. There is a depth of leadership in the ANC, and we are giving younger leaders to give it a shot in the event the ANC wins here.”
DA’s Solly Msimanga says the confidence displayed by the ANC when their motion against Campbell succeeded has waned after realising, they may not have the support they need to win back the metro.
“Last week the ANC was very confident and jumping up and down saying they are now taking over, yet today they seem not to be able to get it together. We are reliably informed that in that particular caucus they are already fighting amongst themselves…the numbers that they thought they were going to have, seemingly now they don’t have them,” Msimanga said.
While he would not confirm if he was in the running for the position, it’s been reported the EFF wants its Gauteng leader Nkululeko Dunga to be elected mayor, while the ANC regional caucus wants one of its own to wear the mayoral chain.
The DA has remained behind ousted mayor Campbell as their preferred candidate.
ALSO READ:
