Scenes of violence played out in the East London City Hall yesterday at a Buffalo City Metro council meeting as city police fought with EFF councillors.
The fighting broke out after council speaker Alfred Mtsi ordered police to remove the EFF councillors after ANC councillors raised a motion that the councillors were not dressed according to approved council dress-code rules.
The eight EFF councillors were in their trademark red overalls and red “makarabas” which Mtsi said were in contravention of the rules approved in August by the new council.
This was the fourth BCM council meeting from which EFF members were removed by city police – but yesterday’s events resulted in an exchanged of fists, curses, threats and slaps between police and councillors.
Leading up to the fight, an intense two-hour debate occurred between political parties with some opposition parties expressing concern about the “waste of time” for merely discussing clothing.
BCM executive mayor Xola Pakati called for the council to remove the councillors as the council had resolved the matter in previous council meetings.
Pakati was responding to a call by council chief whip Mzwandile Vaaiboom to have the EFF members investigated for breaching the code of conduct in terms of the Municipal Systems Act.
When the DA called for the equal representation of all political parties in the committee that would investigate the matter, ANC councillors quickly turned down the request, emphasising they were the ruling majority and therefore would have more seats in the committee “as usual”.
The ANC also insisted that EFF members should be excluded from the committee as they were implicated.
EFF councillor Noludwe Batala said: “We have been also voted for by the people and those people knew that this is what we would be wearing when inaugurated into council.
“Please don’t brag to us that you are the majority because we have also been voted into this council.
“We were dressed like this when we were sworn in so we don’t understand why this is an issue now.”
Councillor Thembinkosi Apleni cautioned the council not to “waste” the public’s time discussing clothing as the situation “will not change”.
“What is wrong with the way I am dressed? This is a jacket. Don’t play with us,” Apleni said.
In a heated argument Mtsi accused the councillors of trying to create the “chaos” that has often been seen recently in the national parliament.
Before the fight erupted EFF supporters were warned by the city police and told that they should not take videos of the confrontation.
Councillors were heard shouting “don’t touch me” to the police officers as they attempted to drag them out of the chambers.
Soon after, glasses were broken, fists flew and screams were heard as police and councillors fought inside the chambers.
The councillors were soon outnumbered by a large contingent of police, who dragged them out of the chambers moments after the two parties battled it out on the wooden floor, with both men and women falling to the ground.
Outside the chambers, EFF supporters soon joined the fray and more fists were exchanged in the city hall corridors.
However, the battle soon ended after an unidentified man working with city police peppersprayed the councillors and their supporters in their eyes.
The injured rushed to the toilets looking for water to wash out their eyes.
Angry councillor Luhle Royi said the spray had left him with an allergy on his face. Many were struggling with red eyes as they stumbled out of the city hall.
EFF party leader in council Chumani Matiwane said: “We opened a criminal case last month after we were beaten up by the police.
“We also have a legal process that we started against the speaker, he gave reassurance when we spoke to him through our lawyers that we will not be removed from council.
“In the letter that we wrote to him we sought to get a letter from the court saying that the act of the speaker is unlawful to remove us from council.
“We are taking the matter to court – the costs will be personally for the speaker because we don’t want to overburden the ratepayers where they have to pay for the irregularities of the ANC. We will seek a court order, personally from the speaker,” Matiwane said.
EFF councillors brawl cops: BCM dress code order sparks fist fight
The fighting broke out after council speaker Alfred Mtsi ordered police to remove the EFF councillors after ANC councillors raised a motion that the councillors were not dressed according to approved council dress-code rules.
The eight EFF councillors were in their trademark red overalls and red “makarabas” which Mtsi said were in contravention of the rules approved in August by the new council.
This was the fourth BCM council meeting from which EFF members were removed by city police – but yesterday’s events resulted in an exchanged of fists, curses, threats and slaps between police and councillors.
Leading up to the fight, an intense two-hour debate occurred between political parties with some opposition parties expressing concern about the “waste of time” for merely discussing clothing.
BCM executive mayor Xola Pakati called for the council to remove the councillors as the council had resolved the matter in previous council meetings.
Pakati was responding to a call by council chief whip Mzwandile Vaaiboom to have the EFF members investigated for breaching the code of conduct in terms of the Municipal Systems Act.
When the DA called for the equal representation of all political parties in the committee that would investigate the matter, ANC councillors quickly turned down the request, emphasising they were the ruling majority and therefore would have more seats in the committee “as usual”.
The ANC also insisted that EFF members should be excluded from the committee as they were implicated.
EFF councillor Noludwe Batala said: “We have been also voted for by the people and those people knew that this is what we would be wearing when inaugurated into council.
“Please don’t brag to us that you are the majority because we have also been voted into this council.
“We were dressed like this when we were sworn in so we don’t understand why this is an issue now.”
Councillor Thembinkosi Apleni cautioned the council not to “waste” the public’s time discussing clothing as the situation “will not change”.
“What is wrong with the way I am dressed? This is a jacket. Don’t play with us,” Apleni said.
In a heated argument Mtsi accused the councillors of trying to create the “chaos” that has often been seen recently in the national parliament.
Before the fight erupted EFF supporters were warned by the city police and told that they should not take videos of the confrontation.
Councillors were heard shouting “don’t touch me” to the police officers as they attempted to drag them out of the chambers.
Soon after, glasses were broken, fists flew and screams were heard as police and councillors fought inside the chambers.
The councillors were soon outnumbered by a large contingent of police, who dragged them out of the chambers moments after the two parties battled it out on the wooden floor, with both men and women falling to the ground.
Outside the chambers, EFF supporters soon joined the fray and more fists were exchanged in the city hall corridors.
However, the battle soon ended after an unidentified man working with city police peppersprayed the councillors and their supporters in their eyes.
The injured rushed to the toilets looking for water to wash out their eyes.
Angry councillor Luhle Royi said the spray had left him with an allergy on his face. Many were struggling with red eyes as they stumbled out of the city hall.
EFF party leader in council Chumani Matiwane said: “We opened a criminal case last month after we were beaten up by the police.
“We also have a legal process that we started against the speaker, he gave reassurance when we spoke to him through our lawyers that we will not be removed from council.
“In the letter that we wrote to him we sought to get a letter from the court saying that the act of the speaker is unlawful to remove us from council.
“We are taking the matter to court – the costs will be personally for the speaker because we don’t want to overburden the ratepayers where they have to pay for the irregularities of the ANC. We will seek a court order, personally from the speaker,” Matiwane said.
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