After a shaky start, 15 new uMngeni municipal councillors were inaugurated into office at the Howick magistrate’s court in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.
This comes after the inauguration of the new council in the uMngeni municipality was stalled when mayor-elect Chris Pappas lodged an objection to suspended municipal manager Thembeka Cibane presiding over the meeting.
The swearing-in ceremony was due to be held at the Howick West community hall but Pappas and fellow DA councillors, including deputy mayor-elect Sandile Mnikathi, and two EFF councillors staged a walkout and went to the magistrate’s court.
“We refuse to be sworn in under an illegal meeting and so we came to the magistrate’s court, as the law allows for a magistrate to be the presiding officer,” Pappas said.