Ekurhuleni Speaker and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga survives a motion of no confidence again.
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The future of Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, the council speaker for the City of Ekurhuleni and a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), appears increasingly precarious following her survival of yet another motion of no confidence.
Tshivhenga was was poised to face the council and determine her political fate following the State of the City Address delivered by Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza on Thursday afternoon.
However, in a twist of political fate, the scheduled decision has been postponed for a second time, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now.
Pelisa Nkunjana, the Whip of Council, spoke with the media on the sidelines of the address, indicated that the fate of Tshivhenga and the coalition dynamics would now be addressed in April when the council reconvenes.
"On the issue of the motion of confidence against the speaker, based on these merits, our priority is ensuring that the council functions effectively and that the leadership structure remains stable to deliver services to the residents of Ekurhuleni," Nkunjana said.
"The government’s principles and the needs of the residents will guide the council's decision."
Nkunjana stressed that the council respects its processes and would engage accordingly in the motion of no confidence against the speaker.
"Our primary concern remains the need of the people of Ekurhuleni, and we will ensure that any decisions taken by the council will deliver the mandate to deliver services effectively by the city of Ekurhuleni. That’s how we are going to deal with the motion," she said.
Tshivhenga has been fighting to keep her position as municipal speaker following a motion of no confidence initiated by the IFP.
The opposition party argued that she had failed to maintain decorum during council sittings and was responsible for physical altercations within the chamber.
Tshivhenga survived a similar motion of no confidence last month after the IFP withdrew the motion just before it could be heard in council.
This was the second time Tshivhenga had faced a motion of no confidence, but she survived the previous motion with support from the ANC and EFF.
Meanwhile, Tshivhenga and her office secretary, Salome Lekalakala, are at the centre of a scandal involving fraud and corruption to a tune of R175,000.
According to reports, Lekalakala admitted in an affidavit that she and Tshivhenga allegedly received money from service providers who secured catering contracts for her office, despite no services being provided.
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) places Tshivhenga at the center of the alleged fraud.
Lekalakala is accused of deceiving Reasibe Enterprises into transferring money to her personal account by forging documents and promising catering contracts.
However, Tshivhenga has denied the fraud and corruption claims.
The EMPD has launched an investigation into the matter.
Tshivhenga told the media Thursday that she had not received any communication regarding the investigation.
"I can put it on record that there’s no communication thus far, and we are still awaiting the process to commence, and we will continuously provide the updates," she said.
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