The GOOD Party says it will support Thursday’s motion of no confidence in Cape Town Speaker Felicity Purchase, calling for a secret ballot.
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor and Caucus Whip Jonathan Cupido said his party strongly rejected Purchase’s decision for the vote to happen by open ballot.
“It is ludicrous that the Speaker should determine the voting process for a vote that affects her directly. The Structures Act, Schedule 3, provides for the Speaker to be elected by secret ballot, we believe the converse should also apply, a vote to remove her should be held by secret ballot,” explained Cupido.
The motion is brought by a multiparty caucus, led by the African National Congress (ANC) and other opposition parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters, GOOD Party, Patriotic Alliance, National Coloured Congress and Al Jama-ah.
The multiparty caucus is accusing Purchase of violating her obligation by “bullying and silencing” opposition councillors, instead chosing to “prioritise the will” of her political party, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
“It’s an abuse of office to deviate from this default and foundational principle of public and transparent legislative meetings,” said Cupido.
The GOOD Party said it believed all council meetings should be held physically in the Council Chamber, noting that in January, Purchase decided to move the first council meeting of the year from an in-person meeting to an online platform.
Cupido said the council session was to table the City’s Adjustment Budget report and other important reports relating to service delivery, noting the Programming Committee resolution in 2024, which confirmed that any council meetings dealing with budgetary items would be held in-council.
He explained that virtual council meetings were a result of Covid-19, and that “the threat of the pandemic is long gone”.
He also noted that the January 30 meeting was moved to a virtual session without consultation of any of the parties.
“In an email sent to councillors on the 27th of January, the Speaker said her office had been “advised of planned disruptions to Council proceedings,” he said.
Cupido highlighted that his party believed this decision was “nothing more than a veiled attempt to protect” Cape Town Safety and Security MMC JP Smith and Water and Sanitation MMC Xanthea Limberg from public scrutiny following the Hawks raid on their office.
In January, the South African Police Services specialised crime unit raided Smith and Limberg’s offices as part of investigations into a tender fraud case in the construction sector within the City of Cape Town.
Polity.org