Mayor condemns DA walk out
2005-05-19
Anne Kruger
A WALKOUT by the Democratic Alliance caused a commotion at the budget meeting of the Cape Winelands District Council on Thursday.
The DA walked out of the meeting in Worcester to caucus on the Speaker’s decision to allow members of the public to address the council before a vote had been taken on the budget, but never returned.
The DA requested time to caucus after disagreeing with the Speaker’s decision to allow the public to comment during the meeting, after the budget speech and political party inputs.
Says DA councillor Gawie Bruwer, “We had initially been angered by Speaker Nompumelelo (Doreen) Hani, who had cut back our allotted time to comment on the budget from eight to six minutes.
“The Speaker also contravened the rules of order by starting the meeting 30 minutes late.
“Then she ruled that the public could address the meeting without specifying which article of the regulations was applicable, and without listening to our objections.”
When the angry DA members left the chamber to caucus on the Speaker’s decision, the council was left without a quorum because many councillors were absent.
Hani nevertheless allowed the meeting to continue for another ten minutes, says Bruwer.
The meeting reconvened 45 minutes later, once some ANC councillors who had left early, had returned to ensure a quorum which could appprove the budget.
The budget was then unanimously accepted by the ANC, NNP and ID councillors who had remained.
But, says Bruwer, continuing with the meeting after a break of 45 minutes is out of order.
“According to regulations, a meeting must be postponed until a later date if a quorum is not available within 15 minutes. This effectively means that the budget has not been approved,” says Bruwer.
The Mayor of the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Clarence Johnson, and Speaker Hani both condemned the behaviour of the DA councillors.
Neither they nor the Municipal Manager were informed that the DA would not be returning to the Council meeting.
“The DA insisted that the public does not have the right to speak in Council meetings,” says Johnson.
When the meeting resumed after lunch, and the disappearance of the Democratic Alliance, municipal manager Kam Chetty assured those present that allowing the public to speak was in line with section 5 of the Municipal Systems Act that states that the public “can submit written or oral recommendations, representations and complaints to the Municipal Council”.
Chetty further stated that it could also be allowed within the rules of order of the Cape Winelands District Municipality.
Mayor Johnson told the 300 people in the meeting that public participation was in line with the Freedom Charter’s clause that the people shall govern, “something which the DA knows nothing about”.
Johnson condemned in particular the actions of Democratic Alliance’s Professor Jannie Gagiano of Stellenbosch and asked the Stellenbosch Municipality to take disciplinary action against him and other DA Councillors.
“Gagiano was rude and shouted at people both in the Council Chamber and outside,” said Johnson.
Said Boland ANC chairman Mike Mgajo: “There were representatives from labour, agriculture and business who addressed the meeting, but they are viewed as children by the DA - they would not allow them to address their political representatives.”
Bruwer retorted that the ANC's dictatorial behaviour was a "threat to democracy".
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