The DA in the City of Johannesburg says it will institute disciplinary action against one of its Councillors for acting against the party’s mandate. It says Councillor Anthony Still did not join his party counterparts when they staged a walkout on Thursday, but instead remained in the council chambers.
DA Johannesburg Caucus leader and regional chairperson Funzela Ngobeni says the party views Still’s actions in a serious light.
“We view this in a serious manner as it is an illegal act by Councillor Still. And the party will exercise its right and its rules and processes and we will take him through the disciplinary processes and we will communicate the results in due course.”
The DA says all its Councillors were given an instruction to walkout and not participate in the council meeting because, the party says, it was being presided over by an illegitimate Speaker.
ANC Cllr Molwele asked to vacate her seat, DA Councillors are chanting and asking her to go! The DA doesn’t recognize her as the official Speaker of Council in Joburg. @BelindaE6 @FunzelaZA @DA_GPL @DAGauteng @Our_DA pic.twitter.com/WMdnNkfQ2D
— Joburg DA Caucus (@DA_JHB) January 30, 2020
DA Joburg Caucus Leader Cllr @FunzelaZA states in this statement why the DA believes that Cllr @CoJSpeaker is still the real Speaker of Council, as a result walked out on the illegitimate ANC Speaker Cllr Molwele. @FunzelaZA @DA_GPL @DAGauteng @Our_DA pic.twitter.com/uUjmJOORlA
— Joburg DA Caucus (@DA_JHB) January 30, 2020
In November 2019, three DA Councillors defied their party’s mandate and voted with the ANC through a secret ballot to elect the current Johannesburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo. Two of them have been disciplined and the party says it has now identified the third individual.
The opposition party hasn’t, however, named the culprit.