CoCT Council Speaker Purchase welcomes rejection of no-confidence motion against her

CAPE TOWN - City of Cape Town Council Speaker Felicity Purchase has welcomed the rejection of a motion of no confidence against her.

The motion was brought by the GOOD party, supported by the African National Congress (ANC) and the Africa Restoration Alliance (ARA) on Thursday.

The call comes after Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor, Mzubani Dambuza, was choked by a security officer in council chambers in July.

The parties were also not happy that Purchase scheduled a council sitting virtually on Thursday.

Purchase said that the allegations contained in the motion were baseless.

The Speaker said that the motion failed because it lacked substance and was driven by narrow political interests rather than facts.

Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe agreed: "Here we are witnessing a political witch hunt. A witch hunt is not an inquiry; it is a pre-determined verdict looking for evidence to justify itself. It is a strategy used when facts are weak but political motives are strong

The Speaker added that the recent disorder witnessed in chambers had not been the result of her rulings, but of certain councillors' deliberate refusal to comply with the rules.