A Turkish proverb suggests that when jokers and clowns take over a palace they do not become royalty, rather they are more likely to turn the palace into a circus.
This is what has happened, the EFF has attempted to turn our national parliament into a circus.
The EFF is trying the same strategy in the City of Cape Town. They brought their disruptive behavior of shouting and jumping over desks and behaving unruly and rude inside the Council chamber.
In the Council meeting in December2020, I made the error of asking the EFF to behave like decent people and to stop shouting and screaming nonsense when other Councillor’s were speaking.
I told the EFF that they had changed their Councillors on MPAC a record 5 times in the last term. Most EFF Councillors never attended the meetings and those who did attend either arrived late or left early and also never said much in all those years. I had spoken to the various EFF leaders in Council about this absent behavior and they apologized but the situation did not improve.
What is obvious from experience, is that the EFF did not have the experience, the qualifications or the skills and ability to participate at MPAC.
The picture taken by the EFF of myself “who slept throughout the proceedings, was re-elected as chairperson of the MPAC” is the EFF’s revenge for their failure to respond to actual logical debate.
Instead of looking at historical contribution towards community development and the municipality, the EFF wants to degrade and mock me with the help of an Argus reporter.
The EFF seeks to reduce the City of Cape Town into a similar circus as they have attempted with parliament. Almost every item on which the EFF speaks in Council is rude and mocking and sarcastic and meant to degrade and cause loss of respect. This cannot become our established norm.
Sadly, when the EFF speaks, some Councillors go to the bathroom, others go for a smoke and others enjoy a chat because many Councillors are tired of the rudeness and the EFF’s illogical utterances.
I rest my eyes, due to a medical condition. I informed the previous Chief Whip and Speaker of Council about my medical condition and this was accepted. The closing of my eyes last for three minutes every hour or so and may continue until my medical condition is resolved, God willing.
Although the meeting was online and I could do it from home, I prefer to attend in the Council Chamber. I have a record of meeting attendance of probably 99% over almost 20 years. That the reporter who wrote the belittling caption and article did not do the research, is substandard. The reporter said that I slept for the entire 5-hour meeting instead of looking at the council video footage which verifies that the report is untrue.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress