Council move to fire DA's 'racist' councillor

30 January 2016 - 11:32 By Rochelle De Kock

The Democratic Alliance in Nelson Mandela Bay has been dealt a massive blow with the council resolving to fire one of its councillors‚ Chris Roberts‚ for his alleged racist utterance when calling the United Democratic Movement's Mongameli Bobani a "bobbejaan" (baboon). The council decision has to be ratified by Local Government MEC Fikile Xasa before Roberts is officially relieved of his duties.This could result in a by-election in Roberts’s Ward 7.The DA was on the receiving end of the ANC and minority parties’ wrath at yesterday’s council meeting‚ where it was taken to task for its perceived leniency towards racism.Shortly before the meeting began‚ some DA members danced and waved placards in front of the Raymond Mhlaba sports centre in Motherwell‚ blasting their leaders for not firing Roberts and‚ instead‚ expelling former DA councillor Knight Mali.They claimed Mali was persecuted and fired for speaking out about racism within the party...

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