Cape Town - Cape Town city spokesperson Dirk Smit warned on Friday that city councillors faced disciplinary hearings if they did not obey summonses to appear in court for traffic fines.
He said he had "untested" information that there were currently 19 warrants of arrest issued for councillors, four of which were for one councillor and two for another.
Smit said he had asked the city's executive director for safety and security to check if his information was correct.
In a letter sent to all councillors on Friday, Smit said by not obeying summonses the councillors "will cause great embarrassment for the council.
"Such action will not be tolerated and it will leave council with no alternative other than to discipline such councillors," he said.
"I urgently call on all councillors to 'get their houses in order' and to attend to such outstanding traffic fines immediately."
He said that procedure when a person did not appear in the traffic court was to issue a warrant of arrest for contempt of court, but to hold it over for 14 days.
He would act "early next year" if the individuals had not sorted out the issue of the warrants.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Cape-Town-councillors-read-riot-act-20101210