Chaos has erupted in a council meeting in the City of Tshwane. The African National Congress(ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF) caucuses have walked out collapsing the planned meeting in which a new mayor Randal Williams mayor was expected to be elected.
The opposition parties have told the speaker of the council Katlego Mathebe that they will only take part in the council if she resigns.
#TshwaneCouncil EFF / ANC calling for DA Speaker Katlego Mathebe to resign or recuse herself before moving ahead to election of new mayor. Tshwane is without a mayor after Stevens Mokgalapa resigned. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/nJdAE0Jva5
— Sipho Stuurman (@Sipho_Stuurman) February 27, 2020
Williams was expected to replace outgoing mayor Stevens Mokgalapa.
The Tshwane council then collapsed after the ANC and EFF staged a walkout.
The City of Tshwane remains without a mayor.
It remains without a government to carry out service delivery.
#TshwaneCouncil now ANC and EFF stage a walkout collapsing council. Tshwane remains without a mayor and a government. The opposition parties want the speaker to resign before election of a new mayor #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/NRqHUgvAeV
— Sipho Stuurman (@Sipho_Stuurman) February 27, 2020
Meanwhile Outgoing Tshwane Executive Mayor Mokgalapa says he’s stepping down in the interest of the Tshwane citizens.
Wednesday was Mokgalapa’s last day in office, paving the way for the City of Tshwane to appoint a new mayor in a special council sitting on Thursday.
Mokgalapa’s exit followed a “Sex in the City ” scandal after the surfacing of an audio recording in November 2019. This is the one that alleges sexual relations between Mokgalapa and former MMC Sheila Senkubuge. He has denied this.
Mokgalapa was in office for just a year, including three months where he was on special leave following the “Sex in the City” scandal. – Additional Reporting Phanuel Shuma
In the video below, Tshwane Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa says he laid charges of extortion and blackmail following the leaking of the above-mentioned audio.