THE DA in Tshwane has tabled a Motion of No Confidence against City of Tshwane Speaker, accusing him of trying to silence them.
The motion against the Speaker of Council, Mncedi Ndzwanana, will be tabled during the upcoming Council sitting on 26 June 2025.
The party claims since 2023, Ndzwanana has undermined democratic processes within council, exercising his authority in what it calls "an authoritarian and biased manner".
DA Tshwane Caucus Chief Whip, Ofentse Madzebatela, accused the Speaker of making rulings driven by emotion rather than reason or the council's rules.
"Due to this attitude, councillors cannot participate in meetings as equal peers. His discriminatory behaviour has reached a point where parties outside the governing coalition do not have a fair say or hearing, for that matter in Council meetings," said Madzebatela.
He said Ndzwanana routinely dismisses DA proposals regardless of their legal or procedural soundness and referenced several instances where the party believes he acted unjustly.
"At the council meeting of 29 May 2025, the DA Caucus raised objections to a report on the establishment of the Economic Growth Advisory Committee, arguing that it duplicates the work of existing committees.
"We invoked Section 39 of the Rules and Orders By-laws (2012) to call for a vote on the matter, but the Speaker denied us this right," said Madzebatela.
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He said endorsing the committee report without allowing a vote was "unethical" and would burden the city with unnecessary costs.
Madzebatela also criticised the Speaker for presiding over a period of administrative paralysis, claiming that council committee meetings were suspended for nearly four months toward the end of 2024.
"It was only after the DA's public outcry that committee meetings resumed in February 2025.
"This is not symbolic of representative democracy. It is tantamount to censorship. We will remove the Speaker and restore democracy to Tshwane's council chamber," he said.
In response, Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana rejected the DA's claims as unfounded and politically motivated.
"To set the record straight, the rulings of the Speaker in all council sittings are not based on emotions.
"As the champion of oversight and holding the executive accountable, the Speaker conducts meetings of council in accordance with the Rules and Orders By-law," he said.
Ndzwanana acknowledged the DA's intent to table a Motion of No Confidence and confirmed that his office has received their formal submission.
"Reasons cited are without merit. We will not mount a defence, as the truth will prevail. The council meeting will proceed according to the Rules on 26 June 2025," he said.
