Durban - The meeting to elect a new deputy mayor of eThekwini Municipality has descended into a shouting match between councillors.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 10am on Thursday but had not started by 11am.
The ANC and EFF as well as representatives of the smaller parties in the coalition agreement with the ANC did not arrive at the meeting.
The opposition parties have described the meeting as wasteful expenditure and called for the absent councillors to be disciplined.
Speaker Thabani Nyawose addressed the media following the collapse of the meeting. He said all councillors were informed of the meeting and the speaker’s office had confirmation that councillors received the invitation.
However, he said at 10am some councillors were not in the venue. He said there were 80 councillors in the venue but the meeting required 112.
In a statement issued to the media the municipality said the meeting was adjourned as it could not meet a quorum as a result of two main parties not being present.
“In terms of the council rules, the meeting will be reconvened in the next seven days,” said the statement.
“The EFF and the ANC and some councillors from this side, I will sit down with them and register my concern as the speaker on behalf of the people of eThekwini and the councillors,” said Nyawose.
Members of the ANC arrived at the meeting after it had been called off and began dancing and singing.
Meanwhile, “The Mercury” reported today that the ANC slammed the planned motion of no confidence to be tabled against eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, saying the action “reeked of desperation”.
The motion was filed on Wednesday on an urgent basis and is expected to be debated at the January 31 council meeting. It was put forward by the Active Citizens Coalition party.
The motion, addressed to the office of the speaker, read: “Please receive this urgent notice of motion to remove councillor Mxolisi Kaunda as a member of executive committee (exco) of eThekwini Municipality.”