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John Stoffels, the Speaker for the Oudtshoorn municipality, told 11 DA councillors today that their request for a special council meeting on Wednesday was "unlawful and invalid"
Instead, a special workshop is scheduled for Wednesday in the ongoing attempt to finalise the budget.
The DA’s request for a special council meeting claimed that “if a majority of the councillors request the meeting in writing, the Speaker must convene the meeting”.
However Stoffels said the majority of the councillors in Oudtshoorn was 13, and only 12 signed the request.
The DA's argument for a special council meeting centred on what constitutes a majority when there are vacancies in the municipality.
"The Speaker respectfully submits that the judgement is legally unsound and impractical," municipal spokesman Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe.
The passing of the budget and Integrated Development Plan has been a source of great contention in the municipality of late.
On Friday last week, a special council meeting to approve the budget and the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the Oudtshoorn municipality again failed to yield a result on Friday after the DA and Cope approved motions to reject both.
The DA and Cope rejection was 12 votes to the six of the ANC, one of Icosa, and one on the NPP.
This came after DA and Cope councillors walked out of a special council meeting called on Tuesday last week, citing the fact that Stoffels did allow allow them to put forward various motions.
