Speaker has his say

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Speaker Sean Snyman provided George Herald with the following statement in response to Councillors Virgill Gericke's allegations about his handling of council meetings:

It is indeed a sad day when political parties resort to misleading the public by constantly sharing half truths about circumstances. It is no secret that there are constant attempts by a certain group of councillors to ride roughshod over council meetings and last Thursday's meeting was no different.

Contrary to the statement by the party above making accusations, I believe it is time that residents of George became aware of the Rules of Order which govern all meetings of Council.

These rules are public knowledge. The statements made are testimony to the fact that there are elements in Council that have no regard for discipline, order or the interest of the very people they claim to serve.

I categorically deny the statement which implies that any rules have been changed and once again the fact that I insist on unilateral discipline and order are frustrating sectors as they are no longer able to do as they please as the rules are being applied.

Councillors need to take responsibility for their actions and despite quoting the constitution, common law, and common sense, need to be applied and it can be stated that no councillor has been ejected from any meeting whilst discussing issues relating to service delivery, but rather because of a lack of adherence to the Rules of Order and acting in a way that is unbecoming of a councillor.

Unfortunately, the statement [referring to Gericke's statement] makes no mention of the facts and merely state allegations based on emotional circumstances.

With statements made in the last sentence, there are nuances of racial threats which are both irresponsible and may be a breach of the code of conduct.

As chairperson of Council, it is my duty to serve the interests of the residents of George by ensuring the Integrity of the council by making sure that council meetings are used to constructively debate on the issues on the agenda, without tarnishing the dignity of individuals in administration nor fellow councillors.

There are protocols that should be followed and unfortunately, the way parties are conducting themselves currently is nothing short of cheap electioneering and using the time and resources of the municipality to do [so], by disrupting meetings purposefully in order to make negatively charged comments for the purpose of political statements rather than concentrating on the business of the day.

Comment by Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk:

Municipal legislation provides for Rules of Order to ensure that council meetings are conducted in an orderly fashion. This provides for debate on the items on the agenda and provides for "points of order" and "points of explanation". The expectation is therefore that there is respect and discipline within a council for the meeting to be conducted orderly. This level of respect and orderly conduct has not been present in recent meetings with deliberate attempts to disrupt the flow of the meeting with constant interruptions of debates taking place.

Speaker's function

The role of the speaker is enshrined in the Municipal Structures Act Chapter 3 Part 2 (SS36-41).

Functions of speakers

The speaker of a municipal council-

(a) presides at meetings of the council;

(b) performs the duties and exercises the powers delegated to the speaker in terms of

section 59 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32 of

2000); [Para. (b) amended by s. 14 (a) of Act 51 of 2002.]

(d) must maintain order during meetings;

(e) must ensure compliance in the council and council committees with the Code of Conduct set out in Schedule 1 to the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32 of 2000); and

[Para. (e) amended by s. 14 (b) of Act 51 of 2002.]

(f) must ensure that council meetings are conducted in accordance with the rules and orders of the council.

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