City of Tshwane Council Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana has released a video message on Monday whereby he ” sets the record straight” regarding the fracas that took place in the Council chambers on Thursday, resulting in DA Councillors being evicted by bouncers.
The video message says Ndzwanana has noted “the false narrative” that the opposition parties in the City of Tshwane Council have dished out on different social media and news platforms regarding Thursday’s chaos in the Council chambers.
“I gave several warnings to DA Councillor Ofentse Madzibatela during two separate meetings on the selfsame Thursday 31 October 2024,” said Ndzwanana in the video statement.
“Madzibatela was disturbing the Council meetings and at around 5.30 pm on Thursday during the second meeting, I ordered him to leave the Council chambers but he refused to do so, and when security officers approached him so as to remove him from the chambers as per my instructions, some DA Councillors blocked the way so that he would not be removed, this in defiance of my orders for Madzibatela to leave the chambers,” said Ndzwanana.
“I then gave orders to security officers to also remove DA Councillors who were blocking the way,” he said.
Ndzwanana is adamant that only three DA Councillors were removed from the chambers by security officers while the rest of them walked out voluntarily and only Councillor Jacqui Uys remained behind in the chambers.
Be that as it may, FF Plus Tshwane leader and Councillor Grandi Theunissen lambasted Ndzwanana for being partisan and that he clearly ordered the removal of DA Councillors to spite the opposition Councillors.
“The DA’s Councillor Madzibatela was heckling with the ANC/EF/ActionSA Councillors just like they (ANC/ EFF) used to heckle with us when we were in government and they were in the opposition,” explained Theunissen.
“Ramabodu of EFF has recently bayed for the blood of an Afrikaaner and several ANC Councillors have passed disgusting remarks about the DA and FF Plus Councillors but the Speaker has never kicked them out of Council, and the whole thing about kicking out DA Councillors had been orchestrated well in advance,” lamented Theunissen.
“All of a sudden the speaker enlisted the services of bodyguards last Thursday but in the past he has never ejected anyone from Council even though we as FF Plus were being threatened openly in the chambers by EFF/ANC/ ActionSA Councillors,” he said.
He bemoaned the fact that Madzibatela was not even asked by Ndzwanana to retract his statement as is normally the case when a Councillor has said something that may be regarded as offensive by the Speaker.
“Instead, bodyguards with extra reinforcement were simply brought in to remove him,” said Theunissen.
“Our members felt unsafe due to the open intimidation by EFF/ActionSA/ANC Councillors and I therefore told them to withdraw from the chambers and when I personally walked towards the exit of the chambers, the ANC/ EFF / ActionSA Councillors swore at me and threatened me with violence, and I tripped over myself and fell on the stairs of the chambers, much to the sarcastic laughter of the said Councillors,” explained Theunissen.
“This is the kind of barbaric Councillors who are now governing the City of Tshwane,” fumed Theunissen.
“All this shows that Ndzwanana is a hooligan of a speaker and that he applies double standards; we reject him, he is not fit to be a Councillor, let alone the Council Speaker, ” he said.
Theunissen lamented the fact that Ndzwanana is a sole Councillor of a minority party in the Council chambers and that even though his minority party only has around 800 voters in the whole of Tshwane, he is the Council Speaker and that is unacceptable,” said Theunissen.
“This is the type of imbecile we have as Council Speaker,” said the fuming Theunissen.
Meanwhile, aggrieved DA Caucus leader Cilliers Brink has described the eviction of DA Councillors from the chambers on Thursday as an assault on democracy.
“Today (Thursday) the ANC/ EFF) ActionSA coalition has assaulted democracy by using force to silence opposition Councillors,” said Brink in a statement submitted to Tshwane Talks on Thursday.
“When DA Councillors raised challenging questions, they were not met with answers, but with Deputy Mayor Modise’s demand for their removal and the Council Speaker dutifully obliged,” said Brink.
“Bouncers were brought in to forcibly and illegally remove DA Councillors Moloto and Makgaleng,” he said.
“The DA will open cases against the Speaker and those involved in this assault on democracy,” warned Brink.