- Johannesburg’s city council was due to vote on a vote of no confidence against Mayor Mpho Phalatse on Thursday.
- An earlier vote on whether to escalate the motion indicated the mayor could be ousted from office.
- The mayor said she hoped to survive.
Councilor Mpho Phalatse has been removed as Mayor of the City of Johannesburg.
This comes after three motions of no confidence were filed against him at the first ordinary council session of the year on Thursday.
In the first motion, 140 councilors voted in favor of the article, and only 129 council members voted for Phalatse to remain.
Despite abstaining from voting to advance the no-confidence motion on the agenda, ActionSA voted with the DA against Phalatse’s removal.
ActionSA councilor Lincoln Machaba told the Johannesburg city council that the party would vote with Phalatse but would lose.
She called the party “arrogant” and said she did not support Phalatse and had let her down.
After the motion of censure, the appointment of a new mayor was expected to take place.
The DA members argued that they did not bring their identity documents so it was not a “free and fair” election.
A notice from the council secretary to the South African Electoral Commission (IEC) said the issue would take place on Friday.
Councilor Ashley Sauls of the Patriotic Alliance said DA members should go get their IDs.
“To the prosecutor, if you think you’re going to come to the Palestinian Authority tonight and talk, we’re not going to talk, we’re ready to serve.
“[Instead of deferring until Friday]councilors must have two hours to go pick up their [IDs]and the rest can go clean the cars to make them nice and clean for the new [MMCs],” he said.
Speaker Colleen Makhubele, who escaped a vote of no confidence when ActionSA withdrew her motion, took the decision to legal bodies.
When he returned, he was scathing in his decision to defer the vote for the new mayor until Friday.
“The recommendations are clear that before the dismissal of the mayor there will be a call for a new mayor. His ignorance and laziness in reading the agenda should not affect the vote.
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He turned to councilwoman Leah Knott, who spoke about the district attorney expecting the new mayor to be voted in on Friday.
Makhubele said the election would take place on Friday.
With that, the meeting ended.
Speaking after the council, AL Jama-ah Councilor Thapelo Amad addressed rumors that he would be the next executive mayor.
He said the opposition looked at him, Makhubele and councilor Margaret Arnolds, but ultimately chose him. “My name came up and I’m honored that they endorsed my name,” he said.
voted
The first hint came early in the day that Phalatse would not have the numbers to survive. The opposition parties voted to intensify the motions of no confidence against the executive mayor, which placed them on the agenda for the day.
The vote to move the agenda item up the list indicated how the councilors would vote. There were 266 councilors in the chamber, while four were absent.
The opposition voted with 140 members in favor of the motion while 50 members abstained.
Those who abstained were members of ActionSA and IFP.
Speaking at what would be her last briefing as mayor on Thursday, Phalatse said she was hopeful of surviving the vote despite three no-confidence motions against her.
“We have survived so many but hopefully we will live to see another day.”
Several hours later, their hopes were dashed.
