Cape Town Council Speaker Must Go

GOOD Statement by Jonathan Cupido, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor & Caucus Whip:

The GOOD Party has formally submitted a Motion of No Confidence in Cape Town Speaker, Alderman Felicity Purchase, in terms of Rule 18 of the Rules of Order Regulating Council Meetings, Section 160(1)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, and Sections 36 to 40 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act (Act 117 of 1998).

Last week’s council meeting marked the final straw in a long line of incidents that have made it abundantly clear that Speaker Purchase is not fit to lead the Council. Her repeated failures to uphold the integrity of council processes, maintain order, and preside impartially have brought the institution into disrepute and eroded public trust.

This is not the first time a motion of no confidence has been brought against her. In March, a multiparty opposition motion collapsed after the then-leader of the ANC caucus, Banele Majingo, resigned from the ANC and crossed the floor to join the DA, betraying his own party and the broader opposition. GOOD committed then to bring its own motion, and we have now delivered on that promise.

Among the grounds for this motion are:

• Persistent failure to maintain order and decorum, including her handling of the disturbing incident involving the forced removal and choking of EFF Councillor Banzi Dambuza;
• Demonstrated bias and selective discipline, protecting DA councillors while targeting members of the opposition;
• Improper handling of council voting processes, undermining the integrity of decisions taken;
• Unilateral changes to council meeting formats, overturning decisions taken in good faith at the speakers’ Programming Committee;
• Failure to recuse herself from presiding over motions affecting her own office, in violation of established case law and basic principles of justice.

The Speaker is entrusted with upholding the rules of council, ensuring fairness, and protecting councillors’ rights. Alderman Purchase has violated this mandate.

We call on all councillors, regardless of party affiliation, who value transparency, accountability, and the credibility of this institution, to support the motion. The motion includes a call for the vote to be conducted by secret ballot, in line with legal precedent, to ensure councillors can vote without fear of reprisal. The Speaker must go.

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