Johannesburg -The EFF, ANC and other opposition parties in the City of Joburg failed in their bid to disrupt the election of Section 79 committee chairs through singing and dancing while the DA-led coalition government were choosing their candidates who were elected unopposed.
The opposition parties made their intentions clear from early in the day when they lodged separate bids to stop the council from adopting minutes of two previous council meetings which were also disrupted due to a dispute over voting methods for the positions of chair of chairs and Section 79 committee chairs.
On Thursday, however, there were no physical scuffles between the opposition and members of the DA-led coalition government. EFF and ANC members restricted themselves to the benches but chose to hurl insults against council Speaker Vasco da Gama who rejected their attempts to stop the elections.
The DA-led coalition government managed to elect 16 of their candidates to serve in the different committees.
The IFP suddenly withdrew their nomination for the chair of Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) - an important committee which oversees the financial conduct of all municipal committees and officials. Now, Da Gama indicated that they would open nomination for the chair of MPAC but notices would be issued to councillors in advance.
The conduct of opposition parties contradicted a statement issued by MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Lebogang Maile on Thursday morning about his meeting with DA Gama and leaders of political parties represented in council on Wednesday night.
Political Bureau