Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Tania Campbell was removed as Ekurhuleni executive mayor after failing to survive a motion of no confidence tabled by the African National Congress (ANC) on Wednesday.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday evening, Campbell said she remained resolute in rooting out corrupt and power-hungry officials.
“Those who seek power at all costs are one step closer to getting their hands back in the public purse to line their own pockets. Now more than ever, we remain steadfast in our results to ensure that residents come first.”
The motion, proposed by ANC councillors Khehla Madlala and Dora Mlambo, was debated by all political parties in the council before the register was taken to determine whether enough councillors were present to form a quorum.
Once a quorum was established, voting was done by a show of hands, which saw a majority of councillors voting in favour of the motion, while the EFF abstained.
Campbell faced a motion of no confidence from the minority party caucus, which consists of parties such as AIC, ICM, PAC, UDM, ATM, NFP, and Cope.
One hundred councillors voted in favour of the motion, while 93 voted against the motion. This resulted in the removal of Campbell as the mayor of Ekurhuleni.
The removal of Campbell comes after the Gauteng High Court ruled in favour of Mpho Phalatse and declared the motion of no confidence, by means of which she was removed on 29 September, was unconstitutional and invalid.
The DA’s woes began in Johannesburg when Johannesburg council Speaker Vasco da Gama was voted out in September. This was followed by the removal of Phalatse before the court overturned that decision.
The reinstatement of Phalatse could be short lived as the ANC could bring up the motion again to have her removed as mayor.
Source: Daily Maverick, Eyewitness News, IOL, Business Day, Sowetan Live, image from Twitter: @KETSO4LIFE