The DA in eThekwini condemns those parties that continually fail to show at council. Their councillors are paid by ratepayers to represent them but are never in council when they are needed.
This following the continued failure of many smaller parties to fully participate in Council proceedings.
These include the Freedom Front Plus, MK Party, ADEC, and MOSA, none of whose councillors were present in Council, as well as ActionSA, which had 50% of its councillors absent.
At the Final Full Council meeting, most of these parties did not attend at all, while others who were present left before proceedings concluded. This is not an isolated occurrence, with repeated absenteeism raising serious questions about whether these councillors are fulfilling their responsibility to the residents who elected them.
While DA councillors remained in the chamber to debate critical municipal matters and exercise oversight, seats allocated to several smaller parties remained empty.
Residents elect councillors to represent their interests in Council. That responsibility does not disappear when meetings run late or when attendance is inconvenient. Governance requires councillors to debate, scrutinise decisions and hold the executive accountable.
This is particularly concerning when smaller parties seek influence in coalition negotiations but fail to consistently participate in the work of Council.
At the upcoming local government elections, residents should consider not only what parties promise, but whether their elected representatives are present when the work of Council is being done.
Governance is not a photo opportunity or a 9-to-5 job. The DA will continue to participate fully in Council proceedings, scrutinise the executive and raise the service-delivery issues affecting eThekwini residents.