City of Ekurhuleni after acting mayor Nkosifindile Xhakaza. (Ekurhuleni City)
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have refused to accept the positions of new members of the Mayors Committee (MMC) in the City of Ekurhuleni after the reshuffle was announced by Acting Mayor Nkosifindile Xhakaza on Tuesday night.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the EFF said it had rejected the offer of MMC posts and would sit on the opposition benches.
“The EFF informs the people of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng and South Africa that we have declined the offer to be part of the Mayoral Committee in the City of Ekurhuleni and will humbly and graciously accept our role on the opposition benches,” the party said.
In the reshuffle, which sources said earlier in the week mail and guardian Coming to fruition, Zakaza removed EFF councilor Bridget Thusi as MMC for community services and Kgopelo Holo as MMC for human settlements as part of his plan to reduce the influence of the Red Berets in the municipality.
Zakaza also removed the EFF's Thembi Masane from the water and sanitation portfolio and gave him the post of overseeing the Infrastructure and Economic Development Agency. He also offered Leshaka Manamela the post of MMC for Human Settlements, which the EFF rejected.
“Of particular concern is the decision to remove water and sanitation responsibilities from EFF councilor and MMC commissioner Thembi Masane and place these responsibilities under a newly formed portfolio called Metro Utilities (Trading) Services, led by a newly appointed ANC councillor,” the EFF said.
“This irresponsible move seeks to undermine the EFF’s work in maintaining and improving water infrastructure in the city and poses a threat to water services, in the same way that the city’s finances were jeopardized by the illogical removal of the EFF MMC from that portfolio in 2024.”
This latest reshuffle follows the removal of EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga from the post of MMC for finance in Ekurhuleni, aimed at fast-tracking the approval of the municipal budget amid concerns over the city's financial management.
The party criticized that Zacza had refused to fill the speakership vacancy with an EFF councillor, “as had been agreed in previous negotiations because the position was held by the EFF”.
Last month, the EFF announced it was withdrawing its support for the ANC in the Ekurhuleni council and the Gauteng provincial legislature, citing disagreements over the implementation of its coalition agreement.
Party leader Julius Malema told journalists that the ANC had taken decisions in the municipality “without consulting the EFF” and had ignored agreed governance arrangements. He said the ANC treated the EFF “as a junior partner rather than an equal partner in governance”. The party “could not continue” under such circumstances.
The EFF endorsed the ANC in Ekurhuleni following the 2021 local government elections, in which no single party gained a majority. The ANC has acknowledged tensions with the EFF but has not commented on its decision to reject MMC positions.