ActionSA says it intends to table a motion of no confidence against the City of Johannesburg Speaker, Colleen Makhubele.
The party wants to remove Makhubele because she presided over two council meetings that the high court nullified.
The first council meeting was the rushed tabling of a motion of no confidence against Joburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse. The Democratic alliance took the matter to court following the removal of Phalatse.
The then ousted Joburg mayor was reinstated on 25 October after the court found that her removal was unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid.
The court ruled that Makhubele’s decision, taken on 29 September, to schedule an extraordinary meeting of council to vote on a motion of no confidence against Phalatse the following day was unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid.
Judge Raylene Keightley also set aside the election of the ANC Joburg regional chair Dada Morero, who had been sworn in as the new mayor of Johannesburg.
Makhubele was ordered to pay the costs of the DA’s urgent application, including the costs of two counsels.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Thursday, ActionSA Johannesburg caucus leader Zark Lebatlang said Makhubele, who is a councillor for the Congress of the People (Cope), has failed to act in the best interest of the City.
“We even in our experiences in council believe the Speaker should be somebody who is partial, somebody who should be fair and make sure that all political parties feel free within council. Certain utterances that the Speaker has made on social media platforms and during interviews has been a great concern for us,” he said.
Lebatlang said the motions will not bring instability to the City of Johannesburg.
He said the multiparty coalition would consult with other political parties in the City of Johannesburg to get them to support the motion.
Source: The Citizen, Jacaranda FM, image from Twitter: @ColleenMakhub
