Violence erupts at Cape Town council meeting as GOOD party demands Speaker's resignation
Graphic video footage, provided to IOL, captured the tense moment where a man lay defenseless while being restrained by another individual, prompting intervention from onlookers who attempted to separate the brawling parties.
The incident has ignited a significant political backlash, with the GOOD party calling for the immediate resignation of Cape Town Speaker Felicity Purchase and accusing her of being biased.
"Her continued presence in that role has now resulted in a grievous assault on a public representative, all because he dared to ask a question. Her actions, inactions and biases have resulted in violence and thuggery that have endangered lives," said Samantha Jackson, media manager for the GOOD party.
Jackson condemned the Speaker's failure to uphold the rules of order during the council's oral question period that followed the Mayor's address. According to her, Purchase unlawfully permitted a point of order that set off the subsequent upheaval, breaching the council's own stipulated regulations.
"Today's scenes in council were unfortunate, but not unexpected. Once again, the Speaker of the City of Cape Town has failed in her duty to apply the rules of order fairly and consistently. During the oral question period following the Mayor's address, a session clearly regulated by Rule 11.2 of the Council's own Rules of Order, the Speaker unlawfully allowed a point of order. That decision alone broke the very rules we are all expected to uphold and set in motion the chaos that followed," said Jackson.
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