By Staff Reporter
A motion of no confidence against Tshwane Mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, failed on Thursday when the motion was dismissed by Acting Council Speaker, Ms Refiloe Kekana, saying it will be impractical to implement as it was flawed and defied the laws that should be followed when appointing a mayor.
The motion was dismissed at the Council Chambers at Sammy Marks Square Conference Centre in Pretoria. The motion was based on the termination of the prepaid smart meter project by the City and the service provider, PEU Capital Partners (Pty) Ltd (hereafter “PEU”).
Responding to the call for his impeachment, Councillor Ramokgopa reminded the opposition that Council represents the interests of the electorate. “Therefore, the highest decision-making process in the post-apartheid South Africa remains the ballot box, and not a disgruntled minority”. He further urged the opposition to exercise patience and wait to test the popularity and confidence of the people in the 2016 local government elections.
City Spokesperson, Mr Blessing Manale, said the Executive Mayor has openly engaged with and sufficiently clarified to citizens the PEU smart meter debacle and will continue to ensure that the interests of ratepayers are protected.
In a statement issues on Wednesday before the Council meeting, Mr Manale said this was an attempt by the opposition to launch a desperate tactic from the official opposition’s declining “Take back Gauteng” strategy of diminishing the people’s confidence in the Executive Mayor.
“The intention to table a motion of no confidence at the monthly meeting of the Tshwane Council on Thursday, 30 July 2015, is yet another example of the opposition’s denialism obsession with the service delivery success rate of the current administration led by the Executive Mayor, a desperate attempt to change the regime,” he said.
Mr Manale said the basis of the motion went against the principles and spirit of a democratic Council. “This was centred on a malicious campaign, orchestrated without success.
