This week in council · 3 July 2025
Margaret Arnolds (AIC) elected Speaker with 137 of 210 valid votes; Christians 68
The 41st Extra-Ordinary Council Meeting on 3 July 2025 elected a Speaker by IEC secret ballot, heard water tanker appeals and debated a 2021 financial report.
By Said in Council (AI draft from the record)
AI draft.Written by Claude Opus 5.5 from this site's record of one sitting, not by a reporter, and not checked by a person. Code checked every sentence: it cites the moments it rests on, and any sentence with a number or name not in those moments was dropped. Click a link to check it yourself.
Speaker election result and swearing-in
The 41st Extra-Ordinary Council Meeting on 3 July 2025 was convened to elect the Speaker of Council. 03 Jul 00:00:01 The presiding officer said the Speaker vacancy followed council's 25 June 2025 vote of no confidence in the former Speaker, Cllr Nobuhle Mthembu. 03 Jul 01:04:56 In the Speaker election run by the IEC, Cllr Margaret Arnolds received 137 votes, Cllr Alex Christians 68 and Cllr Yongama Zigebe 5. 03 Jul 01:04:56 03 Jul 04:44:46 The Speaker election result slip recorded 249 ballots cast, 39 spoiled and 210 valid, and Cllr Arnolds was declared Speaker. 03 Jul 04:44:46
Nominations for Speaker came from the DA, the UIM and the ATM, and Cllr Christians, Cllr Arnolds and Cllr Zigebe each accepted. 03 Jul 01:31:52 03 Jul 01:35:56 The presiding officer read Cllr Arnolds' resignation as MMC for Finance, effective immediately, into the record because one person cannot hold both positions. 03 Jul 05:01:55 The Regional Court President administered the oath of office to Cllr Arnolds as Speaker. 03 Jul 05:04:19
Quorum, caucus breaks and an objection
Quorum was confirmed with 225 councillors present against the 136 required, in a council of 270 with one ward vacancy after the death of Councillor Buthelezi. 03 Jul 00:25:53 Apologies submitted at the 3 July sitting included the Executive Mayor, who was out of the country. 03 Jul 00:27:10 ActionSA was granted a 30-minute caucus break, and the IEC was given 30 minutes to print ballot papers. 03 Jul 00:29:54 03 Jul 01:40:08
When the meeting resumed, Al Jama-ah asked for a further 15 minutes of caucus time, and Cllr Raphadu (ANC) objected because the process had already started. 03 Jul 01:04:13 03 Jul 01:04:56 The chair continued with the Section 36 procedure, and the objection by Cllr Raphadu was recorded. 03 Jul 01:04:56
Water tanker appeals and Speaker's promises
Cllr Nguse (ANC) rose under Rule 73 to appeal that the water tanker stationed at the council chambers be released to wards without water. 03 Jul 01:11:21 Cllr Modupi (ANC) also raised the water tanker issue under Rule 73 during the Speaker nominations. 03 Jul 01:31:52 The presiding officer reported that Johannesburg Water was adding two additional water tankers per ward and said the matter was attended to. 03 Jul 01:31:52 promise
In her acceptance speech, Speaker Arnolds said council would sit at ten minutes before 10:00, not later. 03 Jul 05:09:58 promise Speaker Arnolds announced that an extraordinary council meeting would be arranged to consider business meant for 25 and 26 June, with councillors to be notified. 03 Jul 05:12:41 promise An automated check linked the 3 July sitting to a 25 June 2025 promise that the acting city manager would call a further council meeting on the vacant Speaker's position, marking it said to be done. 03 Jul 01:04:13 earlier promise
Item 1: 2021 financial report debate
The 3 July recording also includes Item 1, the Section 71 and 52D financial report for the quarter ended 31 December 2021, presented for noting. 03 Jul 02:00:00 The presenting MMC reported an operating surplus of R1.2 billion against a budget of R2.6 billion, with bulk electricity purchases R1.7 billion over budget. 03 Jul 02:00:00 According to the presenting MMC on Item 1, capital expenditure was 30% of the R8.2 billion budget and debtors totalled R39 billion. 03 Jul 02:00:00
The DA, ANC and EFF noted the Item 1 report, while ActionSA and the IFP noted and supported it. 03 Jul 02:05:06 03 Jul 02:10:09 03 Jul 02:14:35 03 Jul 02:18:19 03 Jul 02:21:30 Cllr Santana (DA) and Cllr Coutriers (ActionSA) both pointed to irregular expenditure of R166 million in the Item 1 debate. 03 Jul 02:05:06 03 Jul 02:18:19 When called in the Item 1 debate, the Patriotic Alliance speaker did not respond, and no speech was recorded for the ACDP speaker. 03 Jul 02:21:30 03 Jul 02:25:14 Item 1 was recorded as deferred, with no formal resolution recorded in that part of the recording. 03 Jul 02:00:00
From the record
- 41st Extra-Ordinary Council Meeting · 3 July 2025
Councillors who spoke in the moments cited:
Albert Tefo RaphaduANCAlex ChristiansDAAnnette Janine DeppeDABrenda Happy DammieANCChris Avant-SmithDAChristopher Glen SantanaDADavid Nthako ModupiANCFranco Carel De LangeFF+Lubabalo Cecil MagwentshuATMMarcel Jean CoutriersActionSAMargeret Sheron ArnoldsAICNonhlanhla SifumbaDARonald Winston HarrisACDPSello MoreroANCSihle NguseANCTabisa Anthea MogapiEFFTemba Aubrey MhlongoAICTshepo MposulaActionSAYakoob KaroliaAl Jama-ahYongama Ludwe ZigebeUDM
How this was made: Claude Opus 5.5 read the chapters, decisions, votes, promises and follow-ups of these sittings as this site records them (not the raw transcript), wrote 25 sentences that each cite their sources, and code removed 0 sentences it could not match to the record. How this site works · Corrections.