WATCH: Fistfights during eThekwini council meeting
An eThekwini city council meeting descended into chaos yesterday, with members of the EFF getting into a brawl with security officials tasked with removing them.
Speaker Thabani Nyawose ordered their removal.
It's after the party's members demanded that the city manager, Musa Mbhele, leave the meeting.
It's over allegations that the city did not spend about R1,8 billion of conditional grant money.
Around R1,5 billion of the money was meant for the Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant.
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The money was forfeited to the National Treasury.
eThekwini Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, told council members that the money was only received in March 2023.
He told members that this was three months before the end of the financial year, adding that the Department of Cooperative Governance advised the city that a rollover application was not required.
Kaunda says that this was not the case, though and that the application has since now been submitted to the Treasury.
Watch below: The video contains violent scenes, and view discretion is advised
EFF starts a brawl in the eThekwini Council assaulting Councillors, Security Personnel and Officials.
— Cllr Sakhile Mngadi (@Sakhilemngadi) October 31, 2023
It’s 5PM and the meeting hasn’t even started they have held us at ransom since 10am! #eThekwiniCouncil pic.twitter.com/bmezQxHa6u
Ethekwini Municipality sent police to eject the EFF PR Cllrs as they stood firm in saying the City Manager Musa Mbhele must not preside in the meeting.This follows the report from National Treasurer that 1,2 billion grant will be sent back due to under spending/ failure to spend. pic.twitter.com/kIMiXpzxsZ
— eThekwini EFF (@Ethekwini_EFF) November 1, 2023
