A council meeting in Tshwane turned violent on Thursday evening when Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana called in bouncers from private security to forcibly remove from council chambers DA councillors accused of disrupting the proceedings.
Two DA councillors were dragged out of Tshwane House Council Chamber a few minutes after Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise said: “We procured bouncers there and you (Speaker) are not utilising them and those two chaps there qualify to be taken out. Can you utilise our bouncers optimally?”
Ndzwanana initially ordered bouncers to remove former MMC for Human Settlements Ofentse Madzebatela, who interjected the incumbent MMC Aaron Maluleka who was on the podium, criticising the DA for having stopped 23 projects in 2020 on the grounds that the metro didn’t have enough money.
Maluleka also slammed Madzebatela for a poor track record of not spending capital grants, which were subsequently returned to the national Treasury.
“We (ANC) went on his behalf to national Minister of human settlements (Mmamoloko) Kubayi to beg her to have money for Tshwane to come back,” he said.
Madzebatela interrupted Maluleka, saying he wanted to respond to accusations levelled against him.
But, Ndzwanana ordered him to leave the House, saying he had already given him 20 warnings not to disrupt the meeting.
“Can you call the guys to escort him?” he asked.
Some DA councillors stood in the way of bouncers, preventing them from removing Madzebatela.
Ndzwanana then said: “Can I make it easy? For those who obstruct my ruling. Can they also be taken out?”
A group of bouncers then went for a DA councillor and former deputy chief whip Katlego Makgaleng, manhandled him and stripped him off his blazer while some councillors from the ruling coalition of EFF, ActionSA and ANC clapped hands, heckled and filmed the incident.
DA caucus spokesperson Kwena Moloto was also violently removed by bouncers from the House and his pants were torn. Other DA councillors opted to walk out of the meeting in solidarity with their colleagues.
DA Tshwane caucus leader, Cilliers Brink criticised the ANC-EFF-ActionSA coalition in Tshwane for assaulting democracy by using force to silence opposition councillors.
“Unable to win debates in council, this coalition turned to intimidation, weaponising municipal resources to suppress the opposition. When DA councillors raised challenging questions, they were met not with answers, but with Deputy Mayor Modise’s demands for their removal. The speaker dutifully obliged. Bouncers were brought in to forcibly and illegally remove DA councillors Moloto and Makgaleng,” he said.
Brink said the incident was part of a troubling trend, saying “the Speaker has repeatedly failed to protect councillors from documented ANC and EFF assaults, and now actively targets his opponents”.
He said the DA will open cases against the Speaker and those involved in the assault on democracy.
Pretoria News