Despite the original plan for the council to sit for the mid-year budget and performance assessment report as well as a vote of no-confidence in the Speaker, proceedings were moved to the next meeting, which is set to be held next week.

A repeat of events, with a slight twist. This is exactly how the Council Meeting held yesterday can be described.

With the Council Meeting having ended as announced by the Speaker of Council, Raymond Dhlamini, loopholes in the Council system allowed for proceedings to resume without him.

Dhlamini’s decision saw him leave the council alongside the Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus. 

With the Council regulations permitting the resuming of the meeting on grounds that the majority of the council was present, the EFF has proposed that the meeting resume. 

Despite ActionSA having decided shortly afterward that they will not be participating in the caucus, this did not stop proceedings as the members of the City Council still met the threshold. 

Following this decision, the City Manager was able to take over as Speaker of the Council, where thereafter she called for the Council to elect an Acting Speaker.

An Acting Speaker of the Council from the EFF, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, was elected by those present, and the meeting continued.

With council members expressing their concern about the meeting running later than expected, the Council agreed to move some items to the next scheduled council meeting.

Among the items carried over from the agenda include, the vote of no-confidence that was tabled against the Speaker of Council yesterday, as well as additional motions being tabled.

The next Council Meeting is expected to take place within the next 7 days, with Nthabiseng Tshivhenga to be the acting speaker until a new speaker is elected.