Johannesburg – Councillor Colleen Makhubele the “suspended and not suspended” Congress of the People (COPE) member who was the City of Johannesburg Chair of Chairs has been elected Speaker.
Makhubele, who earlier this month was suspended by a faction of the divided COPE party only to have the move disputed by the other faction, was elected Speaker on Wednesday.
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Makhubele replaces the Democratic Alliance’s (DA), Vasco da Gama, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote at the beginning of the month.
Commenting on the development, the African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng said it “welcomes the election of the new Speaker of the City of Johannesburg Councillor Colleen Makhubele after the democratic removal of the former DA Speaker Da Gama”.
The ANC added: “We congratulate all parties that came together to end this undemocratic behaviour by the DA to cling to power at the expense of the residents of Johannesburg.
“If such a conduct of the DA was allowed and left undisturbed, it will set a bad precedent that other Speakers may very well follow, which will ultimately lead to the collapse of governance at local government level.
“The removal of Da Gama is a vote of no confidence in the DA-led coalition government, which has bankrupted the City of Johannesburg and put service delivery on a complete halt.
“We will continue to talk with other parties to restore order in the running of the City and proceed to remove the current mayor of the DA who has placed heavy chains of non-delivery on the residents of Johannesburg.”
Johannesburg Mayor Dr. Mpho Phalatse said: “The multi-party government accepts the democratic election of a new Speaker of Council., Cllr Colleen Makhubele.”
Dr. Phalatse recently clashed with Makhubele, whom she accused of usurping the post of acting Speaker when the latter prematurely called for an extra-ordinary council meeting to elect a new Speaker.
The mayor successfully sought a court interdict that prevented that meeting from going ahead.
RELATED: City Of Joburg Secures Interdict To Stop Extra Ordinary Council Meeting – The Bulrushes
However, the rescheduled meeting on Wednesday resulted in Makhubele being elevated to Speaker.
Commenting on the development Dr. Phalatse said: “Speaker Makhubele has a mammoth task ahead of her, as the Speaker she must ensure that the residents have confidence in the work of Council, which includes deepening democracy, boosting citizen empowerment and stakeholder participation.
The mayor said the new Speaker will also be involved in improving governance, socio-economic development, and service delivery in the City.In addition, Makhubelewill is expected to strengthen accountability while ensuring expeditious and efficient decision-making.
“In that seat, the Speaker needs to be above political machinations and advance the interests of residents and ensure that all councillors, regardless of party affiliation, are treated fairly and equally,” said Dr. Phalatse.
“The executive of the City will, along with the core administration and municipal entities, as has been the case, continue with the work of delivering services to Joburgs 6-million residents, across the seven regions
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Vasco Da Gama once again for his service as Speaker of Council, and I look forward to working with him from the benches of the house, and across the Citys communities, which he is always ready and willing to serve, regardless of rank or status.”
The mayor said, equally, the multi-party government will work with the newly elected Speaker to advance the service delivery needs of residents and hold her accountable if she does not act in the interests of the City.
“‘Our focus is not politics. Our focus is on the people of Joburg and the delivery of services through our repair and rebuild programme,” she said.
“We intend on completing this electoral term in office so that we can show the City and the country that the coalition governance model that is becoming commonplace across the country, yields positive returns.”
