Beverley Jacobs

Attendance

Present

62

Leave of absence

2

Absent without leave

0

Arrived late

0

Left early

0

Reasons given for leave: Other (1), Party business (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

3

Average wait to start

10 s

Average greetings first

0 s

In their words

Every time the chair gave them the floor in a transcribed sitting (3), 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 · 08:40:58Item 25: Reviewed NGO empowerment policy · 4 min 46 s

  Read what they said (609 words)

  Thank Thank you, Speaker. I rise I virtually rise to speak on item 25. Madam Speaker, I'd just like to say that this issue is not about whether NGOs have a role to play in supporting vulnerable residents because they absolutely do. Many organizations provide services that are essential to communities, particularly where government uh is failing residents or assistance are non-existent. But because we are dealing with vulnerable residents and public money, we have to get the policy right.

  The city's own financial report, item 18, which was just discussed, gives us an important context. Social Development recorded capital expenditure of approximately 24 million against a 42 million budget, that's about 57%. Madam Speaker, I'm not saying that this means Social Development failed to spend the budget, but it's because the city has financial cash flow issues.

  The broader financial position of the city tells us that the cash flow constraints are a significant factor. This is therefore not something simply a department spending problem, it's a city-wide financial management issue, and that makes the proposed NGO policy even more important. If we're going to establish a framework through which city may support NGOs, we need to know that the framework is financially sustainable,

  properly governed, and capable of demonstrating exactly where the money is going and the outcomes it's purchasing. Also, Madam Speaker, due process really, really matters. This policy has not received the level of scrutiny that a policy of this nature requires. A policy affecting social development, vulnerable communities, and the allocation of public resources should not just simply quickly move through the system without proper consideration, you know, by the relevant oversight structures.

  Madam Speaker, referral for proper scrutiny on this is not opposition to the NGOs. It is actually about protecting the integrity of the NGO sector and protecting vulnerable residents from a system that has not been sufficiently scrutinized. It is also protecting the city from entering into financial commitments without first properly establishing the governance

  and affordability framework around those commitments. The appropriate course is for this policy to go through the proper legislative processes, for the outstanding issues to be addressed, and for the matter to be returned properly interrogated with accountable framework. Madam Speaker, Councillor Ricky Nair, an ANC councillor, hit the nail on the head. Policies are being approved with no financial backing or implementation plans.

  Unquote. Yet, the ANC, EFF, and PA are steamrolling and agreeing to policies left, right, and center, like a bull in a china shop, disregarding the residents, disregarding the city finances, and just going completely rogue. You know, we owe vulnerable residents better than a policy that is rushed through without sufficient scrutiny, and we owe

  taxpayers a system a system where every rand allocated to an NGO can be accounted for. This policy needs to go to the Section 79 Committee for proper scrutiny and to also follow due process. Madam Speaker, when one of the ANC's own speak against their policies, this is saying something. And if the information and the financial background doesn't give the EFF, PA, and ANC

  enough information, at least listen to one of your own. You know? At the end of the day, we are causing more harm, the EFF, ANC, and PA, by sticking together like glue just so that you can bulldoze your way through things, and the residents suffer at the end of the day. To the residents, there is an alternative, and that is Helen Zille and the DA blue machine.

  Make your mark so that you have accountable governance uh and not just a talk shop. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

• 30 Sept 2026 · 04:54:03Item 6 Skills Development Strategy · 3 min 11 s

  Read what they said (431 words)

  Thank you, Speaker. I rise to speak on item six, the Skills Development Policy. Uh, all protocol observed. Madam Speaker, this policy was put before the Section 79 Committee on the 20th of August. Let it be noted that the Section 79 Committee had a lot of issues connecting, and we advised the Section 79 Committee that we could not connect because of the issues. This was ignored.

  Had we been allowed the opportunity to speak on this platform, we'd have said procedurally and otherwise there were issues regarding this policy. Um, the Skills Development Policy, Madam, is similar to that of the Economic Development one, um, where the business hubs have this type of skills development policy. This leads me to a question: if the Economic Development Skills Development Policy is not working in the City of Johannesburg,

  why is the Social Development Department now trying to take on something that is already not working and repeating the same mistakes and failures, which is actually a detriment to the residents? And then furthermore, the ANC, EFF, and PA administration is dead set on putting out policies in the hope of it somehow landing and sticking somewhere, you know. Um, and it has landed nowhere thus far, truly hurting the residents.

  And I say this simply because if we look at, number one, we were quick to, there's no implementation policies, number one, no financial policies attached to this on how they're going to do that. And we've seen from history and examples that we look at the Bertrams Centre, it's going nowhere. Nowhere. And this is where we were supposed to give people skills development, etc., etc., and it's standing a white elephant, despite the Executive Mayor saying we've got no financial problems.

  That is going nowhere. The Displaced Centre, the homeless centre in Devland, nowhere. And yet, Social Development wants to take on this role, they want to push through policies just because they can make promises to residents, empty promises. We've had enough of the ANC, EFF, and

  Leave us alone, man. Leave the PA.

  PA lying to the residents, making promises that they cannot fulfill. Madam Speaker, we cannot support this item. We cannot endorse wasteful expenditure any further. And so we also say, Madam Speaker, when the DA comes into power, not only do we talk,

  but we walk the walk as well. And so residents can be assured when we put policies in place, it will be followed with an implementation plan and a financial plan. Vote DA on the 4th of November. Thank you.

• 22 Jul 2026 · 05:44:2217, 18 and 19 · 1 min 19 s

  Read what they said (185 words)

  Speaker, all protocol observed. Speaker, you said earlier that you like listening to music. The chorus on this side was the same: contracts stopped, contracts stopped, suppliers not paid on the entire side. The same is going on for Health and Social Development, so I'm not going to expand on what everybody said. That is not a posture of good governance, as Councillor Masuku said earlier.

  The city has failed. The ANC has failed over 30 years. 30 years in this government, and we are going back and back and back. You know, my

  moeg is moeg.

  My tired is tired. How much more can we take? How much more can the residents take as the ANC goes around parading and saying everything is okay? It is not okay. They have messed up, and they've messed up royally. I wasn't going to talk on this, Madam Speaker. I wasn't going to let ChatGPT do my speech for me. Your time is up. The ANC's time is up, and Helen Zille is coming in, and she will resuscitate the city. Thank you. We note the report.

Spoke on

• 30 Sept 2026 · 04:53:47Item 6: Skills Development Strategy
• 30 Sept 2026 · 08:40:18Item 25: Reviewed NGO Empowerment Policy
• 22 Jul 2026 · 05:36:38Items 17-19: party inputs on Health and Social Development