A day at the zoo

Cindy Liebenberg
Our Times, 16 December 2011

WHAT a joke last week’s Kouga council meeting turned out to be.

Firstly, it started 15 minutes late. However, as we are on Africa time it was probably not so bad. With only two apologies in hand, the errant councillors who had not bothered to inform the Speaker, Magdalene Dlomo, they were not going to be present, drew her ire.

Then in sauntered Councillor Vernon Stuurman, only 30 minutes late. One wonders if he and the absent ones will be taken to task as Dlomo did, after all, make a big song and dance about written apologies even if they were just going to be late.

Even before the meeting could get under way DA Councillor Ben Rheeder questioned why a motion he had asked to be tabled at the meeting, was not on the agenda.

The Speaker’s reply that it was an administrative issue and she did not warrant it important enough to be placed on the agenda, infuriated the entire DA caucus so much they staged a walk-out.

Of course Dlomo had to call a 10 minute (which turned into a 30 minute) break, for the ANC councillors to regroup and strategise on what should be done. With the DA and three ANC councillors absent, they did not have a quorum anymore and could therefore not rubber-stamp all decisions made by Mayor Booi Koerat and his executive committee.

Stomping back into the council chambers, Stuurman valiantly declared the meeting must continue as they “cannot allow the tail to wag the dog,” prompting Councillor Phumzile Oliphant into a long impassioned speech of how the DA was undermining the Speaker’s position while hijacking her meeting.

Dlomo agreed the meeting should be adjourned to a later date and definitely not cancelled. During all this time acting municipal manager, Sydney Fadie, could not contain his giggling as I am sure he also found the proceedings a big joke.

The DA councilors, in the meantime, were hanging round outside the council chamber and were hungry. As the complimentary lunch was for the taking they were not going to lose out so they promptly sat down to enjoy the sausages and mash. This prompted mayor Koerat to draw the media’s attention to the audacity of the opposition party.

And there you are dear resident – yet another working day wasted by people we are supposed to trust to look after our interests. The oversight report and all the other important issues that were supposed to have been decided on, swept away to who knows when and who knows where.

Yes, it was just another day at the zoo – sorry office.