MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / City of Cape Town: DA Blocks Public From Portfolio Committee Meeting, Again

City of Cape Town: DA Blocks Public From Portfolio Committee Meeting, Again

The DA in Cape Town has once again demonstrated its disregard for transparency and democratic process.

This morning’s Human Settlements Portfolio Committee meeting was delayed by 45 minutes after Chairperson Cllr Albert Ntsodo refused to allow members of the public to attend. This exclusion violates Section 20(1) of the Municipal Systems Act, which states that council and committee meetings must be open to the public unless there are compelling reasons to close them. No such reasons were provided.

The post CITY OF CAPE TOWN: DA BLOCKS PUBLIC FROM PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE MEETING, AGAIN appeared first on For Good.

GOOD Statement by Axolile Notywala, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor:

The DA in Cape Town has once again demonstrated its disregard for transparency and democratic process.

This morning’s Human Settlements Portfolio Committee meeting was delayed by 45 minutes after Chairperson Cllr Albert Ntsodo refused to allow members of the public to attend. This exclusion violates Section 20(1) of the Municipal Systems Act, which states that council and committee meetings must be open to the public unless there are compelling reasons to close them. No such reasons were provided. The City’s own Rules of Order reinforce this requirement.

Despite a formal written request submitted on 26 September for 15 community members from Khayelitsha, Manenberg, Conradie Park, Goodwood, and civil society organisations to attend, the Chairperson responded, after requesting their names, claiming their issues were “not on the agenda.”

Eight community members attended anyway and took their seats. After disappearing to “consult,” the Chairperson returned with no explanation. The meeting proceeded only after the delay, with the public seated as they were entitled to be from the start.

This is not an isolated incident. Last month, I raised concerns about similar efforts to silence opposition voices and exclude the public in this very committee,  part of a broader pattern of the DA using procedural tactics to avoid accountability and scrutiny.

Today’s small victory is that residents stood their ground and secured their rightful place in the meeting. But the broader issue remains: the DA is steadily eroding participatory democracy in Cape Town. We will not allow this to go unchallenged.

GOOD Manifesto on Gender Equality: Advocating for gender equality and women’s rights.

Read More at the Source

Category: Tag: , , , , , ,

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Re: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims Prize in Gqeberha

    Dear Editor This is indeed an exciting story for the community. Congratulations to the winner and may this bring positive change to Nomathamsanqa. As someone from KwaMashu, I understand the impact such winnings can have on township communities. Wishing the grandfather all the best. Regards Themba Zulu In Response to/From: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims…

  • Re: Minister Tolashe and Postbank Black Cards

    Dear Editor I appreciate the Minister’s assurance regarding the smooth transition to Postbank Black Cards for grant beneficiaries. As a concerned citizen, I hope the government will ensure that all beneficiaries, especially elderly and vulnerable populations in areas like Soweto, receive adequate assistance during this transition period. The expansion of card replacement locations to include…

  • Lotto Winner Story

    Dear Editor This is indeed an exciting story for the community. Congratulations to the winner and may this bring positive change to Nomathamsanqa. Regards Willem Pieterse In Response to/From: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims Prize in Gqeberha

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chow – to eat / food. Often used when talking about food, this term can be used as a verb, meaning to eat, or when talking about the food itself.Example: “Let’s chow my bru!” / “This chow is spicy!”

  2. Fun South African Fact: Table Mountain, one of the iconic landmarks of South Africa, is one of the oldest mountains in the world