News24.com | WATCH | Soapboxing: Fists and water bottles fly amid chaos between DA, ANC during council sitting

• A fist fight between DA and ANC members broke out during a City of Cape Town council sitting.
• The scuffle forced the speaker, Felicity Purchase, to adjourn for a few minutes.
• The ANC accused a City disciplinary committee, which looked into meter-tampering allegations against Zahid Badroodien, of being unconstitutional and wanted to obtain a legal opinion.

Chaos broke out as City of Cape Town councillors were about to conclude a six-hour council meeting on Wednesday, leading to a physical altercation between ANC and DA members.

Angry ANC members threw bottles at DA members, and poured water on each other, prompting the speaker, Felicity Purchase, to adjourn for a few minutes.

The ruckus started after the tabling of a disciplinary committee report on a probe into claims that Zahid Badroodien had tampered with an electricity meter at his home.

In November last year, Badroodien temporarily moved into a vacant house that had been constructed in 2019.

Two days after taking occupation, he was made aware that the electricity meters on the property had been tampered with. He stepped down voluntarily from his position last year.

In the report, which News24 has seen, the committee found that the evidence could not prove that Badroodien was responsible for the tampering.

READ | Cape Town councillor cleared of electricity tampering claims but guilty of misconduct

"The committee was, however, of the view that Badroodien as the lawful and registered owner, should have been more diligent in managing his responsibilities regarding the property in this regard and as a result, he permitted (unknowingly) the tampering of the electricity meters and non-payment of the electricity consumption at the property," the report read.

The committee recommended that Badroodien be found guilty of contravening the code of conduct for councillors for failing "to act in the best interests of the City and in such a way, the credibility and integrity of the City were compromised".

It also recommended that Badroodien receive a formal written warning.

But opposition parties believed there was a possibility that the committee was unconstitutional, and after deliberations, they requested a legal opinion.

ANC caucus leader Banele Majingo said: "The ANC requested that the matter be investigated, and a legal opinion be provided because if that is the case, it might mean the matter reported is null and void."

Chaos then ensued as ANC members charged at DA members, hurled insults, and allegedly assaulted them. 

"What surprised us was a report that [the] speaker move each item, and the mayor supported it.

Majingo said:

Other parties argued that the sanctions were a slap on the wrist. 

The EFF's Nosipho Makamba-Botya said the sanctions undermined the seriousness of the offence.

Before fists flew, the Cape Coloured Congress' Nadia Satarien accused the DA of implementing double standards when it comes to its members. She said police had not charged Mayco member Malusi Booi when the DA fired him.

Police raided Booi's offices as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of fraud and tender irregularities.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said last week that police briefed him on its investigation and, on that basis, he decided to remove Booi from his position immediately.

ALSO READ | City of Cape Town to raise feed-in tariff for selling power back to the grid

"White people are superior in this DA-run City of Cape Town," Satarien said on Wednesday.

DA members tried to drown out the sound of her voice while she was speaking.

Chairperson of the committee, Ian Neilson, defended the committee's recommendations about Badroodien.

He said: 

"This particular hearing was dealt with on merits only. You had to sit through five days of evidence led, and in the end, the multi-party members unanimously concluded what the facts were.

"It was clear that there was a fraud, but councillor Badroodien was not aware of what was taking place," he said.

Neilson added that the sanctions had been agreed upon by the committee.

"I believe any other cases mentioned, if they come to the committee, they will be dealt with appropriately," he added.

Badroodien previously told News24 he was grateful that the disciplinary committee process had finally concluded.