Smith, Limberg row — Opposition parties fume after Cape Town City Council meeting shifted online

The City of Cape Town’s first council meeting of 2025 this week will be dominated by the raids on the offices of two senior DA councillors, JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg. But the sitting will be virtual, which angry opposition parties claim was aimed at protecting the pair. 

Council speaker Felicity Purchase confirmed to Daily Maverick on Tuesday, 28 January that the decision had been taken “due to an indication of possible planned disruptions to the council meeting”. 

Several political parties called for disruptions at the meeting after the South African Police Service raid at the offices of Smith and Limberg last Friday. 

The calls – particularly from within opposition benches – were to disrupt council sittings, or, in the case of the National Coloured Congress, to call on “progressive-thinking parties” not to allow Smith to speak. 

According to police, the raids were in connection with “tender fraud in the construction sector within the City of Cape Town municipality”.

This has prompted calls from opposition parties for the pair to be suspended. 

Read more: Calls for suspension of Cape Town mayco members JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg after police raid offices

Smith has denied any wrongdoing. In a lengthy social media post on Friday afternoon, he pointed to a potential politically connected smear campaign against him. Limberg has also dismissed any allegation of wrongdoing, claiming she is being targeted because of her proximity to Smith. 

Read more: Zille calls defeating the ends of justice charge against her in JP Smith office raid ‘absurd’

Daily Maverick has seen a letter from Purchase’s office to councillors which outlines possible disruptions as the cause for the shift to a virtual council sitting. 

When asked about the change, Purchase said, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but as speaker, I need to consider a number of different aspects when making a determination, such as the safety of councillors, officials and guests in chambers, to ensuring that matters directly relating to service delivery, such as the tabling of the Adjustments Budget report proceed with as little disruption as possible.”

The decision, relayed to councillors on Monday afternoon, did not go down well with opposition parties. The National Coloured Congress’s Eben Muller said this was a “deliberate tactic to delay and silence the growing calls for the removal of JP Smith from office”.

The party argued that “this move is yet another blunder by the DA, which continues to shield JP Smith, a figure who many argue should be held accountable”.

Posters are also circulating on social media of an “anti-corruption” picket at the Civic Centre on Thursday by the African National Congress, the biggest opposition party in the council.

The Economic Freedom Fighters – the third-biggest party in the council – called the changing of the sitting “deeply troubling”. 

“The decision to conduct the meeting virtually is an abuse of power, granting the speaker undue control over the proceedings,” said the party. “It will give her the ability to silence opposition and prevent meaningful participation by easily removing people from the virtual platform or ignoring those raising concerns. This move is nothing short of an attempt to stifle democratic engagement, and it is evident that this is a tactic to protect JP Smith.”