After waiting in the wings for more than a month, the DA's Cilliers Brink was elected mayor of the City of Tshwane on Tuesday.
Brink beat Cope councillor Ofentse Moalusi who was sworn in on Tuesday.
The new mayor received 109 votes compared to Moalusi's 102 votes.
Tuesday was council's third attempt at electing a new mayor after Dr Murunwa Makwarela's disgraceful resignation earlier this month.
Chaos contributed to the delay in the mayoral election as questions were raised about his replacement, whose membership was terminated by Cope last week.
The special council meeting was punctuated by drama after several caucuses were called by the ANC and EFF.
Just minutes after the meeting started after 10am, the ANC called for a one hour caucus break. However, when the meeting reconvened an hour later, the EFF called for a two-hour break that was granted by speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana.
Before this, chaos erupted in chambers when the EFF refused to take part in the nomination process until action was taken against the DA's leaders in council.
About two weeks ago, the DA had instructed its 69 councillors to number their ballots using the numbers allocated to them by the party as reassurance of how each individual had voted.
The votes were declared invalid by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), with the EFF opening a case against the DA for transgressing the IEC secret ballot guidelines.
ANC councillor Moses Maluleke accused the DA of transgressing the Municipal Electoral Act, adding that council could not continue with business as normal.
"There should be punitive measures against what the DA did. They decided to reveal the voter against the Electoral Act and that’s misconduct. What we need to establish as a norm is to agree on certain things that those who transgress the Municipal Act need to be removed as councillors.
"We can’t put a blind eye on transgression and trampling of the Constitution. As speaker, you need to express a view because we can’t proceed with constitutional delinquents," Maluleke said.
EFF leader in Tshwane Obakeng Ramabodu said his party had opened a case against DA leaders who instructed the party's councillors to "engage in illegal activities".
"The DA ... there’s no way they didn’t go to court if what they believe what they did was the right thing to do. The DA voted through a secret ballot but never made it secret. This is a violation and we need to ask this council if they will allow people to vote in a voting pattern they don’t believe in.
"They don’t regard the secret ballot as something that must be used. The city manager must ask what are the consequences and the DA be investigated," Ramabodu said.
nkosin@sowetan.co.za
DA's Cilliers Brink elected new Tshwane mayor
Image: Veli Nhlapo
After waiting in the wings for more than a month, the DA's Cilliers Brink was elected mayor of the City of Tshwane on Tuesday.
Brink beat Cope councillor Ofentse Moalusi who was sworn in on Tuesday.
The new mayor received 109 votes compared to Moalusi's 102 votes.
Tuesday was council's third attempt at electing a new mayor after Dr Murunwa Makwarela's disgraceful resignation earlier this month.
Chaos contributed to the delay in the mayoral election as questions were raised about his replacement, whose membership was terminated by Cope last week.
The special council meeting was punctuated by drama after several caucuses were called by the ANC and EFF.
Just minutes after the meeting started after 10am, the ANC called for a one hour caucus break. However, when the meeting reconvened an hour later, the EFF called for a two-hour break that was granted by speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana.
Before this, chaos erupted in chambers when the EFF refused to take part in the nomination process until action was taken against the DA's leaders in council.
About two weeks ago, the DA had instructed its 69 councillors to number their ballots using the numbers allocated to them by the party as reassurance of how each individual had voted.
The votes were declared invalid by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), with the EFF opening a case against the DA for transgressing the IEC secret ballot guidelines.
ANC councillor Moses Maluleke accused the DA of transgressing the Municipal Electoral Act, adding that council could not continue with business as normal.
"There should be punitive measures against what the DA did. They decided to reveal the voter against the Electoral Act and that’s misconduct. What we need to establish as a norm is to agree on certain things that those who transgress the Municipal Act need to be removed as councillors.
"We can’t put a blind eye on transgression and trampling of the Constitution. As speaker, you need to express a view because we can’t proceed with constitutional delinquents," Maluleke said.
EFF leader in Tshwane Obakeng Ramabodu said his party had opened a case against DA leaders who instructed the party's councillors to "engage in illegal activities".
"The DA ... there’s no way they didn’t go to court if what they believe what they did was the right thing to do. The DA voted through a secret ballot but never made it secret. This is a violation and we need to ask this council if they will allow people to vote in a voting pattern they don’t believe in.
"They don’t regard the secret ballot as something that must be used. The city manager must ask what are the consequences and the DA be investigated," Ramabodu said.
nkosin@sowetan.co.za
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