The leadership of EThekwini Municipality has condemned the behaviour of the opposition parties for walking out of the EXCO meeting today.

 

The incident occurred after opposition parties questioned the attendance of Councillor Zama Sokhabase in the meeting. They demanded evidence and proof that indeed she attended the meeting. The secretariat of the council produced a record that gives an account of all members of the committee that joined the virtual meeting.

 

The record indicated that Cllr Sokhabase joined the meeting at 10:14 and the voting started afterwards.

 

The leadership refutes the allegations made by the DA Caucus Leader, Cllr Nicole Graham that the Mayor of eThekwini, Cllr Mxolisa Kaunda manipulated the process to advance the ANC agenda. 

The leadership appeals to the DA and other opposition political parties represented at EXCO to refrain from clutching at straws to score cheap political points. This is a desperate attempt by the DA and its allies to remain relevant in the city’s political discourse.

 

The item that was on the agenda was the report on the Review of Valuation Roll Tariffs where the treasury unit proposed an increase. The Mayor stated categorically that this matter was still going to go to the public for inputs through the normal budget public hearings. Depending on the input of the public this proposal is likely to be reviewed to the benefit of the public. The statement by the DA to the effect that ANC is inconsiderate, and hell bent to see residents paying more is nothing but spreading disinformation.