DA Councillor’s Viral Video Playing a Game During Joburg Council Sitting Sparks Heated Debate

• Former DA MP Renaldo Gouws shared a video of a DA councillor appearing to play a game during a Johannesburg council sitting
• The councillor, Ward 72's Cllr Schay, defended himself by saying the video was filmed during a 10-minute break in a nearly 10-hour meeting
• Action SA president Herman Mashaba and South Africans online weighed in on the clip ahead of local elections

SOUTH AFRICA - A video of a Democratic Alliance councillor appearing to play a game during a Johannesburg council meeting went viral on 27 August 2026, drawing sharp reactions from politicians and the public alike.

Former DA MP Renaldo Gouws posted the clip on X, showing Ward 72 Councillor Schay, who serves as DA Shadow MMC of Development Planning in Johannesburg, visibly engaged with a game on his device during what appeared to be an active council sitting. Gouws captioned the post with a pointed reference to Helen Zille's ongoing campaign asking Johannesburg residents to vote DA, adding: "Taxpayers' money hard at work!"

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The video quickly gained traction, particularly given the heightened political scrutiny on councillors and elected officials in the lead-up to the local elections.

Councillor breaks his silence

Cllr Schay responded directly in the comments section, offering context that many had not considered. He explained that the council meeting ran from 10:00 to 19:30, a session of nearly ten hours, and that the video captured him during a ten-minute break he took within that stretch.

The explanation divided public opinion. Some felt it was a reasonable defence for a long and gruelling day of public service, while others argued that the optics, regardless of context, were damaging for a party actively seeking votes.

Action SA president Herman Mashaba also weighed in, connecting the incident to broader concerns about DA conduct.

"Oh my goodness, while one is swearing at residents, the other is playing games in a serious council meeting that demands attention. Kanti, re mo kae? [Where are we?]" he wrote.

See video here:

Mzansi reacts to the viral clip

South Africans on X were split on their opinions:

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@AndileMaraule_ wrote:

"Hebanna! DA is not serious, actually for them this is just some necessary admin to maintain the status quo."

@gbabyivp said:

"Leave the man alone maybe it's lunch time for him."

@JennieHattingh joked:

"He was the only productive councillor of the day."

@JBird2603 offered a defence:

"With respect, he's one of the hardest working councillors in Joburg. It can't be easy sitting in council meetings."

@DanielUngerer93 took a tongue-in-cheek approach:

"No post in the history of Twitter has done more to convince me that I actually should be voting for the DA than what I am seeing here."

DA supporter 'rises from the grave' in viral video

In another viral moment, Briefly News previously reported that Patriotic Alliance president Gayton McKenzie shared a video on X showing a man rising from a grave in a cemetery to rally support for the Democratic Alliance ahead of the 4 November local government elections. The selfie-style clip, labelled "The resurrection of bush knife bobby," opens with the individual lying motionless on a tombstone before sitting upright to address the camera. He is wearing a blue "I am a DA voter" shirt and delivers his message from behind a headstone marked "Dr. Niall O'Byrne."

Source: Briefly News