Politics.za: Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?

Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?

Farrel — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 14:24:00 -0500

Despite previously claiming to have given up the quest to unseat Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille in order to focus on calming it’s internal party rifts, there seems to be a rumour that the ANC/ID will try and get provincial Local Government MEC Richard Dyanti to reform the Cape Town City Council under a multiparty executive committee, thereby making the mayor little more than a ceremonial figurehead and forcing the inclusion of the ANC and ID onto the executive committee.

There were rumours that this would be done just after the DA took power in Cape Town but that didn’t pan out. As mentioned previously the ANC in the Western Cape has previously made statements that they were giving up trying to remove Zille from power so that’s another strike against this rumour. There’s also the fact that this law should only to be used (I hope) in cases where a council is completely useless and needs external intervention, a case that does not apply to Cape Town.

Update: Helen Zille is battening down the hatches and getting ready for a potential court fight should this happen.

"Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?" by Farrel

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:39:51 -0500

Perhaps lame duck premier Ebrahim Rasool is getting back at Skwatsha and the rest of them who pushed him out of the Western Cape ANC chairmanship.

"Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?" by DA Mal

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 07:04:25 -0500

Dyanti now disavows this, I heard on Cape Talk this morning; but who outside the ANC can tell what’s really going on any more?

It appears that the provincial ANC (Provincial Executive Committee) wants very much to topple Helen. But the provincial government is not so sure.

Fascinating: so this may be yet another instance of the ANC Western Cape split. It seems deeply humorous to me that this one should be so directly precipitated by the DA…

"Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?" by Farrel

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 04:33:44 -0500

Hmmm… According to this latest article Dyanti’s office is refusing to comment on ‘speculation’. I really will be suprised if that letter arrives (although I’ve been proven wrong before).

"Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?" by DA Mal

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 04:09:06 -0500

Helen’s anticipating that Dyanti WILL try this, though. On Cape Talk yesterday afternoon she told John Maytham that she expected a letter from Dyanti to arrive on her desk either today or tomorrow.

She’s briefed constitutional lawyers already, and talked of escalating a challenge to Dyanti’s letter, if it arrives, to the Constitutional Court as soon as she can get it there.

"Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?" by Farrel

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:08:32 -0500

Yeah I don’t see this happening either. There would be a massive outcry against it and it would be very hard for the ANC to justify the decision to do so.

"Province To Strip Zille Of Powers?" by DA Mal

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 02:09:43 -0500

...Yeah? I’ve been going through the Municipal Systems Act and its three amendments, and I see no reference to a power of the MEC to determine the type of municipality that a unicity may have.

The power of the MEC to control disfunctional municipalities is, if I read it right, rather more limited than one is led to believe. There’s a section in the Municipal Systems Act (2000) that empowers the MEC to request a report or to appoint an investigator. And even to do that, the MEC has to consult with the NCOP. There’s no mention of disestablishing or restructuring the council.

I think this is a hare-brained scheme. It might even be a Good Thing, in effect, to have the power of the MEC to control councils tested in court. For the way I see it – unless the ANC national government amends the Municipal Structures or Systems Acts, Dyanti doesn’t have the power to do this.