EFF councillor faces R15‚000 fine over 'house n****r' slur

An Economic Freedom Fighters councillor in Cape Town faces a R15‚000 fine after admitting to calling another councillor a “house n****r”.

Ncedo Silas‚ one of seven EFF proportional representation councillors in the City of Cape Town‚ could also lose his seat after being found guilty of missing three consecutive committee meetings.

Wednesday’s council meeting will consider two disciplinary committee recommendations about Silas‚ 32‚ who was elected in 2016.

The first says: “Silas demeaned and grossly insulted a fellow councillor by publicly calling him a ‘house n****r’ in an open council meeting and refusing upon repeated requests by the acting Speaker to retract the offensive slur.

“He was ... instructed to leave the council chamber‚ whereupon he jumped over his desk in a display of aggression and had to be forcibly restrained by councillors and security staff before he was escorted out.”

Disciplinary committee chairman Courtney van Wyk said Silas pleaded guilty to acting in a way that compromised the credibility and integrity of the council and should be fined R15‚000.

“[He] showed remorse for the offensive words ... and offered to submit as personal written apology to the councillor. He was further ordered to submit a formal written apology to full council wherein he was to indicate a proper appreciation of the extreme offensiveness of the term used by him.”

In his second disciplinary hearing‚ Silas was found guilty of missing naming committee meetings. Van Wyk said he was honest and open about his absences‚ but the sanction was legislatively prescribed: a recommendation must go to the local government MEC that Silas lose his council seat