🇿🇦South AfricaSouthern Africa
ANC accused of removing Emfuleni mayor after DA wins ward
via The Citizen2 min read
The ANC has been accused of removing Emfuleni Local Municipality mayor Sipho Radebe not due to service delivery failures, but because the Democratic Alliance DA won its first fully black ward in the municipality. The DA secured Ward 28 in Evaton in a recent by-election, indicating a shift in voting patterns within what was considered an ANC stronghold. Following the DA's victory, the municipality and the ANC announced Radebe's resignation, citing service delivery issues. However, Duncan Mthembu, the DA's caucus leader in Emfuleni, stated that the ANC only acted against Radebe after losing Ward 28. Mthembu highlighted that the DA had previously raised concerns about Radebe's performance and even brought a motion of no confidence against him in 2023, which the ANC defended at the time. He asserted that the ANC prioritizes power over people. Meanwhile, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula attributed Emfuleni's service delivery problems to coalition politics, stating the ANC is not in outright governance there. Mbalula mentioned an ANC action plan to revive struggling municipalities and acknowledged that some deployed officials have failed to carry out their duties, compromising public trust.
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