
DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis stated in Boksburg on Wednesday that the City of Ekurhuleni has become a "gangster's paradise" for corrupt politicians and officials. His comments follow new information emerging from the Madlanga Commission concerning maladministration and the alleged looting of municipal funds through a sophisticated corruption network. Hill-Lewis asserted that "everything in Ekurhuleni is corrupted" and that "State Capture never ended in Ekurhuleni," describing the city as the "epicentre of what is known as the Gangster State." He linked current service delivery issues, such as broken roads, substations, and water systems, to the alleged pillaging of state resources. Hill-Lewis urged voters to support the party's mayoral candidate, Khathu Rasilingwane, in the upcoming elections on November 4, stating that she offers the "strong medicine" needed to restore honesty and combat corruption in the city. He expressed belief that Ekurhuleni can be improved, citing examples of DA governance in other areas like Cape Town and the Western Cape as proof that a government can be clean.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Citizen.

The Democratic Alliance DA in Gauteng has expressed shock following the African National Congress's ANC announcement of Hassan Mako as its mayoral candidate for the Emfuleni Local Municipality. Mako previously served as the MMC for Finance under former mayor Sipho Radebe, who was removed due to service delivery failures. The DA's mayoral candidate for Emfuleni, Kingsol Chabalala, stated that Mako was part of the leadership that led to the municipality's decline, citing his failure to restore financial stability and the municipality's ongoing debt to Eskom and Rand Water. Chabalala questioned Mako's ability to effectively lead as mayor, suggesting residents are tired of "recycled leaders." In contrast, Mzi Khumalo, spokesperson for the ANC's Gauteng Provincial Task Team, affirmed confidence in Mako, highlighting his extensive experience as a community development worker, ward councillor, and former MMC for Finance. Khumalo noted that Mako's selection followed a rigorous interview process by ANC National Office Bearers. Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast commented that the ANC's brand has been damaged by corruption and poor service delivery, predicting a downward trend in their electoral performance as younger voters prioritize basic services over the party's liberation struggle history.
Must ReadANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula expressed confidence that the ANC would secure an outright majority in the Ethekwini metro in the upcoming November elections, avoiding the need for a coalition. However, the uMkhonto weSizwe MK party, through its national spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu, dismissed this as delusional, stating that the ANC's era of majority power is over. Political analysts also cast doubt on Mbalula's prediction. Independent political economy analyst Sandile Swana noted that one-party dominance is a thing of the past in South Africa, with most metros now governed by coalitions. Analyst Daniel Silke suggested that any pre-election discussion about coalitions by the ANC would signal a weakness in its support base. The ANC's support in KwaZulu-Natal was previously impacted by the rise of the MK party, and the ANC lost sole control of Tshwane, Johannesburg, and Nelson Mandela Bay after the 2021 local government elections.
Must ReadJohannesburg city officials have defended their R10 billion wage agreement with the South African Municipal Workers Union Samwu despite facing significant financial challenges. Mayor Dada Morero and senior management appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to address findings by the Auditor-General of South Africa AG. Group CFO Tebogo Moraka explained that the city's creditor balance was approximately R7.5 billion at the end of May, with priority given to creditors of entities like City Power, Johannesburg Water, Pikitup, and Johannesburg Roads Agency. Moraka noted that prioritizing these entities, which are already in deficit, strains the city's finances, requiring selective payments based on monthly revenue. To improve revenue collection, a "revenue war room" has been formed, involving the CFO, city manager Floyd Brink, the COO, and managing directors of various entities. The city has also implemented measures to reduce financial waste, including weekly procurement and expenditure tracking. City manager Floyd Brink reported that Johannesburg still has R13.2 billion in unresolved unauthorized, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure, although R45.1 billion of such expenditure has been addressed in the last five financial years. Mbulelo Ruda, Johannesburg's group head of legals and contracts, stated that the Samwu deal, mandated by a CCMA ruling, aims for "justice redressed and institutional stability." He emphasized that the agreement's founding prin