Ross Stuart Hooper

Attendance

Present

58

Leave of absence

6

Absent without leave

0

Arrived late

1

Left early

0

Reasons given for leave: Party business (2), Other (1), Private business (1), Ill health (1), No reason recorded (1).

"Absent without leave" means the signed minutes of a meeting held while they were on council neither list them as present nor excuse them, and no similar name appears that day, so misspellings in the minutes don't count against anyone. Each square links to the minutes.

In the chamber

From the 10 sittings transcribed so far in their term. Times are approximate, to the nearest transcript line.

Not present when called

0

Times given the floor

1

Average wait to start

5 s

Average greetings first

3 s

Apology or leave of absence (1)

• 27 Aug 2026 · 00:05:12Leaving early. Listed among councillors leaving early; time not stated. sitting

In their words

Every time the chair gave them the floor in a transcribed sitting (1), newest first. The words are the AI transcript of that stretch of the livestream (Argon), so they can include the chair or an interjection; the time link is the place to check.

• 30 Sept 2026 · 05:36:00Item 8 Employment Equity Policy Framework · 3 min 47 s

  Read what they said (488 words)

  Good day, Speaker.

  Good day.

  Good day, Speaker. I rise to speak on Item 8, the approval of the Revised Group Employment Equity Policy Framework, all protocol observed. Speaker, we welcome revised and updated organizational policies, and we know that employment equity is currently legislated by national government and is part and parcel of a number of pieces of municipal legislation. Yet how can naively striving for a more egalitarian workplace matter

  when extensive employee abuse is taking place within the administration and performance management is not up to the standard of other metros? In fact, this policy framework is merely emulating and replicating the governance and strategic human resource successes of the City of Tshwane and the City of Cape Town. The main issue with equity in the City of Johannesburg's administration is the lack of intentional and proactive engagement

  and networking with disability interest groups and job profiling platforms and databases that actually assist differently-abled professionals to find and secure employment in the public sector. The focus is on setting and achieving identitarian targets and outcomes rather than attracting and retaining the best talent that can truly serve the residents and ratepayers of Johannesburg. The targets seem to matter more than actually finding

  the people to fulfill said targets. The other issue is the sexist and almost misogynistic obsession with filling certain roles with either men or women. This will hopefully be rectified by the new policy framework, which stipulates service delivery and projects cannot be hampered or hindered by delayed hiring due to predetermined equity targets. Another core issue is that employment equity simply cannot be effected or adhered to

  when there is poor alignment in silos, duplicated functions and roles, insufficient budgets, under-capacitated teams, substandard office spaces, a lack of clearly defined scorecards for many workers and officials, and inexperienced cadre-filled boards at the municipal entities. Another pertinent issue is the Institutional Review Programme or IRP, which has been delayed for years,

  and the transactional advisor involved in the current stage of the process hasn't been paid. Speaker, the organizational redesign of the city is urgently needed and is crucial to developing clearly defined and accountable departments, directorates, and municipal entities. And then employment equity initiatives and fair labor practices can be effectively planned and implemented by skilled and experienced professionals

  and without harming decision-making, filling roles, and ensuring service delivery and project implementation in communities. Ultimately, the residents can elect more competent and caring leadership by voting for Mama Helen Zille as Executive Mayor. She will no doubt end unfair HR processes. She will end employee abuse within the administration. She will end undue influence and unfair cadre deployment.

  And she will ensure the best talent from across the city and indeed the country is attracted to work for the city's administration. Residents, let's get Joburg working. We note and approve the report and the policy framework for compliance reasons. I thank you.

Spoke on

• 30 Sept 2026 · 05:21:03Item 8: Revised Group Employment Equity Policy Framework