Former Johannesburg Speaker and Action SA Councillor Nobuhle Mthembu says she accepts the council’s decision to remove her through a motion of confidence.
Al Jama-ah brought the motion against Mthembu. Of the 270 Joburg councillors, 212 voted to remove her.
Mthembu says she will continue to serve the people of Johannesburg because her removal was a political decision and not an indication of her work.
She has thanked her party for giving her the opportunity to be a Speaker.
Mthembu says, “That 212 did say it is not because of my work, it is not because I fell short when it comes to my role and responsibilities, it is because of political differences, so I stand here very proud as a councillor that got elected by my constituency in Soweto to come represent them in council, and then Action SA gave me a platform to be a Speaker of the COJ (City of Johannesburg) and to go back and say I never failed you. Look at what other parties are saying, even though they are sitting on opposition benches and even though they supported the motion.”
Integrity and stability
Al Jama-ah is confident that the integrity and stability of the city council have been restored following Mthembu’s removal.
The party claims she was compromised as Action SA has failed to work together with other parties, which affected the running of the council.
Al Jama-ah Councillor Kabelo Gwamanda says Mthembu’s removal was an overwhelming victory.
Gwamanda says, “We feel that we have solved the problem for many of the political parties. It’s not an issue that was affecting Al Jama-ah alone, but it was a common factor across multiple political parties.”
He says, “Al Jama-ah not only feels proud of having a valuable contribution not only to the council but to the residents of Johannesburg for the purpose of stabilising legislature. We are looking forward to a government that fosters cooperation.”
Dada Morero
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the vote against a motion of no confidence in Mayor Dada Morero will ensure that the current chaos in the city continues.
Morero remains mayor after surviving the DA sponsored motion in council yesterday.
The party had wanted him to vacate office accusing him of poor leadership and of failure to maintain the city that is deteriorating and has a poor service delivery record.
DA’s Regional leader Belinda Echeozonjoku says the outcome is a let-down to Joburg residents.
Echeozonjoku says, “We did not go around looking for positions, what we said it is a matter of principle. Residents asked us ‘what are we doing?” and we can tell the residents that ANC (African National Congress) , the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) , the PA (Patriotic Alliance), the AIC (African Independent Congress), Action SA by abstaining, IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party), UDM (United Democratic Movement) and ATM (African Transformation Movement) have kept the chaos in Johannesburg and obviously we need to be rigid in the way we hold them accountable.”
VIDEO | Morero on surviving motion of no confidence:
Politics – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.