While political fights dominate newspaper headlines and leads top stories of every media outlet, service delivery might decline significantly in the City of Ekurhuleni – as the battle for control in Ekurhuleni is primarily driven by political maneuvering, which in turn causes, rather than solves, the ongoing crisis in service delivery. Politicians should always remember that the consequences of their actions will be seen in the lived realities of residents rather than factional advantage, or else the city will remain on the edge of administrative collapse.
Is the fight between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and the African National Congress (ANC) Regional Chairperson Nkosidiphile Xhakaza motivated by the needs of residents of Ekurhuleni, or the budget of one of South Africa’s largest metros? Xhakaza has become a central figure in recent EFF media briefings due to a significant political fallout. Malema recently stated that Premier Panyaza Lesufi is the only ANC leader in Gauteng who “knows how to do” consultation with stakeholders.
He is well aware of the fact that Lesufi advised Xhakaza to avoid dismissals of the EFF MMCs in the City, to nurse the wound of the EFF. Some spectators have argued that Xhakaza is focused on cleaning up corruption, including investigations into the EMPD leadership, which has further strained relationships with stakeholders in the city. The recent fallout between ActionSA and Xhakaza following a mayoral committee reshuffle on 17 February 2026 might be a surprise to the residents of the city. The tension stems from the mayor’s attempt to include ActionSA in his executive, a move the party has fiercely rejected. Sources within the region claimed that ActionSA refused to join Xhakaza’s committee because the EFF threatened to remove Dr. Nasiphi Moya, the ActionSA mayor in Tshwane.
Malema has previously threatened to move a motion of no confidence against Xhakaza if he failed to restore EFF powers, positioning the party to disrupt the functioning of the local government.
Before the revelation of “deliberate capture” of the City of Ekurhuleni for private gain, the ActionSA supported the decision of Xhakaza to remove the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Nkuleleko Dunga as the MMC for Finance in the city in 2024. The party went on to suggest that the inclusion of the EFF into the Mayoral committee had hampered service delivery, delivered their first negative audit outcome in years and slowed down progress towards insourcing. The party once advised Xhakaza to remove the remaining EFF MMC’s from their important service delivery portfolios so that service delivery move again in the City. Through their Caucus Leader Siyanda Makhubo said Dunga’s term will be remembered for what he categorise as the controversial R2 Billion security guard tender, the infamous ‘blue light crash’ where a resident lost their life, the Auditor General releasing a negative audit with serious findings against his department and recently his inability to get the budget passed in council.
“Mayor Xhakaza should never have brought Cllr Dunga back into the Mayoral committee at all after the removal of the puppet Mayor Ngodwana, which is a clear example where party politics has been placed above the needs of residents in Ekurhuleni.”
“The ANC cannot distance itself from Cllr Dunga’s disastrous term in office, and it is clear that Panyaza Lesufi’s meddling into local politics in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni is finally beginning to take its toll with Xhakaza clearly acting alone.
“We support Xhakaza’s defiance of Lesufi and encourage him to get the budget approved tomorrow and take heed of our recommendations. It is important that party politics be put aside, as the City remains at risk of being placed under administration should the budget not pass by the end of June,” said Makhubo.
Hitting back at the EFF, Xhakaza has accused the EFF of assisting DA’s Tania Campbell to be elected as the Executive Mayor of the city in 2021, and this arrangement pushed for the appointment of controversial former City Manager Dr Imogen Mashazi. The term is categorised as “the barren years” characterised by political instability, chaos in coalition and collapse in governance,
The testimony heard by the commission has exposed a “criminal enterprise” within the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) involving high-level corruption, murder cover-ups, and systemic failure of oversight. Suspended Deputy Police Chief Julius
Mkhwanazi allegedly led a rogue unit that operated outside the law, interfering in investigations and weaponising state authority for private interests. Xhakaza’s administration decided to place several senior officials on punitive suspension, including Head of Legal Kemi Behari (who admitted to lying under oath to the commission) and HR Head Linda Gxasheka for allegedly protecting Mkhwanazi from accountability.
In addition to this, Xhakaza has recently begun a massive vetting and lifestyle audit of all metro police officers. This “aggressive campaign” is expected to take approximately two months to complete, with officials processing roughly 80 officers per day at the Internal Audit Department in Alberton.
Every “political chessboard” strategy should not only focus in patronage networks and provincial power-sharing deals, but it should prioritise public service and good governance.
Thys Khiba is the Editor-in-chief for City Report.
