Council sitting turns into chaos

By Libuseng Nyaka

QWAQWA – There was pandemonium when a Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality council sitting degenerated into a street fight involving three councillors who got into a fist fight while other councillors howled.

The scuffle broke out when Cllr Mabitle Moloi referred to Economic Freedom Fighter’s (EFF) councillor Chikota Mkhwanazi as a member of a party of idiots.
Moloi was reacting to Mkhwanazi’s behavior toward South Africa Royal Kingdoms Organisation (SARKO), Napo Letlala who was making his input in the council.

The latter is also a member of mayoral committee responsible for finance in the coalition government.
Letlala was peeved and threw the gauntlet at Mkhwanazi.
Mkhwanazi who was sitting in a row behind Letlala left his seat and started making his way out of the council, but he was shortly met by Moloi who had also left his seat. The ANC councillor Moloi threw the first punch, prompting Mkhwanazi to retaliate as Letlala joined in.

The council proceedings came to a standstill as some councillors tried to intervene while others were cheering and heckling.
Eventually the scuffle ended and the speaker of the council Mandlankosi Dlamini ordered the trio who were involved in the fist fight to leave the chambers while further investigations are undertaken.

MAP local municipality speaker Mandlankosi Dlamini.

“The problem is you started by jesting and teasing one another, and those jokes have now escalated into a fight. I, therefore, rule that all councillors involved in the scuffle must leave. There will be investigations which will lead to appropriate sanction for the involved councillors.” Dlamini said.

But Mkhwanazi refused to leave the council, insisting he had been provoked.
“I am not going to leave the council because I did not start this fight. I was only going to leave the council when I was the one who attacked.”

But Dlamini insisted that Mkhwanazi leave the council chambers like the other two councillors who had already left.
At this point Dlamini warned Mkhwanazi that by defying his order he will be banned from speaking in the council sittings until the term ends.