The mayor of the City of Joburg, Mpho Phalatse, said she was locked out of her office on Wednesday morning when she attempted to resume her role as mayor.
She said she would be working remotely until the locks at the mayor’s office had been changed.
Phalatse returned as mayor on Tuesday after a court ruling that declared her ousting illegal and invalid. The decisions made after her departure from the office were also set aside.
On Tuesday evening, Palates convened her mayoral committee, rounding them up to begin their duties as soon as possible. The entire committee was present at a virtual meeting except for the Patriotic Alliance’s Ashley Sauls, who has been fired from the committee.
“Unfortunately, I cannot go into my office yet. I am told the locks have been changed. I don’t have the keys, but I have asked my office to sort it out urgently so that all the MMCs as well as myself can go back to work,” Phalatse said.
She said Sauls was the only MMC who had been removed from her team because the PA was now in an ANC-led coalition which had attempted to remove her as mayor.
Phalatse also said she was aware that another motion of no confidence was being planned against her. She said she was not worried and was prepared to fight for her title.
“The ANC intends to bring another motion of no confidence. They are intending to do it legally this time and they are hoping they will succeed and come back in office. All I can say is that it’s their democratic right to bring a motion of no confidence,” she said.
“The Star” understands that the DA was trying to lure the EFF over to its side, but the plan would not work unless the national leaders of both parties could see eye to eye.
A programming meeting was scheduled for later this month where a motion of no confidence was expected to be slotted in to try to remove Phalatse legally.
The Star