The Speaker of Johannesburg's council, Margaret Arnolds, intends to run a tight ship this year.

Speaking to News24, the African Independent Congress councillor said her goal was to have quorate sittings, with the full cooperation of all 270 councillors.

"That is in the best interest of the residents in Johannesburg. [Council] is the space to deal with residents' issues," she said.

Arnolds was elected in November, replacing Colleen Makhubele. She served as a Johannesburg councillor for three terms and was a mayoral committee member. She was chair of the Section 77 committee before her elevation to Speaker.

She has a challenging role because council meetings are becoming increasingly difficult to keep in order.

On 5 September, the council was in danger of not meeting quorum as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were eating breakfast and refused to come to council for the meeting at 10:00.

The meetings cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of rands, whether or not they proceed successfully.

At her inaugural council sitting days after she was elected, Arnolds asked the council whether they were initiating her because of how poorly they behaved.

The meeting had only heard its first item at 11:20 and started with an argument between the EFF and ActionSA. It ended with an EFF member telling an ActionSA member to meet him outside. The EFF councillor stripped off his red jacket as he spoke.

Arnolds tried to hold the council to account, stating that the meeting was live and that residents were watching the shameful disorder.

That meeting also heard a Democratic Alliance (DA) motion to have the council dissolved for reasons such as the councillors' poor behaviour.

The council will reconvene on 17 January, with the first meeting on 30 January.

Arnolds said her goals for the year included holding the executive to account "on all matters, what they bring, and making sure they execute properly".

She said the City's leadership needed to be honest with residents when it could not deliver on its promises. She believed this would create more trust and a working relationship which would help meet goals.

Arnolds said she would cut down on extraordinary council meetings which were commonplace last year.

"Extraordinary meetings should be for pressing matters and extraordinary matters. We shouldn’t be accused of [wasting] taxpayers' money."

Last year, News24 reported that council meetings could cost up to R600 000 per sitting.

Meanwhile, the Civic Centre building, which houses the City's administration, is still empty after a fire on 16 September.

Many of the 48 000 employees, who worked in the building, will now be placed in centres around the metro.

Arnolds said the City was still finalising details for new office space.

included the "proper" tracking of reports to the council.

"I would love to see the legislature and executive completely accountable.

"I want to have a relationship with all the 269 other councillors; I don't want to be seen as having a good relationship with just the Government of Local Unity [the name given to the ANC, EFF and PA alliance, of which she is a member]. I do have a good relationship with the councillors, and there is no bad blood.

"I'd love to see staff who want to wake up and work. And that is open with [the public]. That would make residents trust them."

Speaking of the ageing infrastructure and other pressing issues, Arnolds said the problem was that each party wanted to start new projects, rather than continue other political parties' projects, even if they were working.

"If we can just get past that, then we can keep good [governance] and carry on. We wouldn't have a city that is fast decaying."

The revolving door of leaders has significantly contributed to the coalition chaos, which has seen three mayors and two Speakers in 2023. With each new mayor came a new executive, with their own ideas.

Arnolds said residents should think about who they want to govern, with elections this year, and local government elections around the corner.

"We're in a coalition because the electorate decided they were not happy with the leadership."