Water bottles flew through the air in the City of Tshwane metro chambers on Thursday as the council sitting descended into chaos.
The fracas started after outgoing mayor Solly Msimanga mocked ANC councillor Terrence Mashego, saying he was a product of Bantu education.
Mashego had objected to the process followed by Msimanga in resigning from the mayoral position. Msimanga lost his cool and said Mashego's lack of comprehension of the English language was because he was a product of Bantu education.
ANC councilors threw water bottles in Msimanga's direction.
The leader of the official opposition, the ANC's Kgosi Maepa, said Msimanga's remarks sought to "romanticise" apartheid and were an insult to all Africans.
"Apartheid was a crime against humanity. Bantu education was meant to disadvantage and disenfranchise and undermine the intellectual capacity of Africans. Apartheid was a crime against humanity and proclaimed as such by the United Nations," said Maepa.
"If the mayor was not a recipient of Bantu education that most of us were, he has no right to come here and insult us when he does not have a clue what thought leadership is about. You must unreservedly withdraw that insult or we will not listen to you."
EFF councillor Obakeng Ramabodu said Msimanga's "insult" was a deliberate attempt to collapse the meeting.
Speaker Katleho Mathebe eventually forced Msimanga to apologise after several heated exchanges among councillors.
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