Councillor Joe Mojapelo, the leader of the Independent Citizens Movement, has raised a motion of no-confidence against Ekurhuleni executive mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, citing deteriorating service delivery, financial instability and governance failures in the metro.
The motion by Mojapelo has been supported by ACDP councillor Tambo Mokoena.
“The motion will be considered by the programming committee this week for the council meeting of next Thursday. The motion once selected by programming and placed on the agenda, will be debated and voted for in the council meeting of March 27,” Mojapelo said.
The Ekurhuleni council has 224 seats, and a clear majority of 50% plus 1 (113) is needed to pass crucial council items such as the budget and votes of no-confidence. Of the 224, the ANC has 86 seats, DA 65, EFF 31, ActionSA 15, Freedom Front Plus 8, IFP 2 and ACDP 2, with smaller parties accounting for 10 seats.
Ekurhuleni is a crucial industrial, manufacturing and logistics hub in Gauteng. OR Tambo International Airport, one of Africa’s largest airports, is situated in the municipality.
However, like its sister metros Johannesburg and Tshwane, Ekurhuleni is dogged by a litany of service delivery challenges such as a lack of access to housing, water and electricity, poor and crumbling infrastructure, joblessness, crime, poverty and fiscal pressures.
Xhakaza, an ANC councillor, was elected the metro’s first citizen in April 2024 following the removal of African Independent Congress councillor Sivuyile Ngodwana from the position.
Responding to questions from Business Day on Tuesday, Mojapelo said: “The city urgently requires a capable and visionary executive mayor who prioritises good governance, financial prudence, and strategic leadership to steer it towards sustainable growth and development.”
The instability of coalitions in Gauteng echoes previous concerns by the SA Local Government Association — an employer body representing the country’s 257 municipalities — that service delivery in the Gauteng metros was deteriorating as political parties battled for control of local councils and municipalities.
The quest for control of the local councils saw ANC councillor Dada Morero elected Johannesburg mayor following the resignation of Al Jama-ah councillor Kabelo Gwamanda from the position in August 2024.
In Tshwane, ActionSA councillor Nasiphi Moya was elected executive mayor after DA councillor Cilliers Brink was removed through a no-confidence motion in September 2024.
When he took over as Ekurhuleni mayor, Xhakaza, an old hand in council affairs, said the metro planned to create 16,000 jobs through the expanded public works and the community work programmes, among other schemes, and promised to implement tight fiscal discipline to turn around the fortunes of a municipality that is not collecting enough revenue and is battling several service delivery challenges.
Xhakaza and council speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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