The appointment of EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga as Gauteng finance MEC was not done in good faith and it will not be beneficial to the estimated 16-million residents of South Africa’s economic and financial hub, analysts and opposition leaders say.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi called a media briefing on April Fool’s Day and announced he had appointed Dunga as the provincial treasury boss, replacing Lebogang Maile, who was moved to the education and sports, arts, culture & recreation portfolio.
ANC Gauteng provincial executive member Matome Chiloane, who served as member of the executive committee (MEC) responsible for education, was dropped from Lesufi’s 10-member provincial cabinet.
In October 2023, Dunga was involved in a car accident on the R21 while being transported in a private Mercedes Benz V-Class allegedly fitted with blue lights. A motorcyclist died in the crash.
In June 2024, he was fired as a member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance after being accused of failing to submit Ekurhuleni’s 2022/23 annual financial statements by the legislated deadline. Ekurhuleni metro mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said the decision was aimed at ensuring effective handling of the metro’s finances, especially the approval of the annual budget, while the opposition cited poor performance.
During his tenure as the metro’s finance political head, Dunga was criticised over the handling of security tenders which cost the city R2bn during the 2023/24 financial year.
“We need to appreciate the complexity and we need to be nuanced in how we look at these issues. There are lots of factors at play. This move to appoint Dunga as Gauteng finance MEC was not made in good faith, it’s the politics of power sharing,” said Nelson Mandela University political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast.
“It’s a political move aimed at producing a win-win situation. But you can’t trust [EFF leader Julius] Malema, he’s not a reliable person, he has demonstrated that. The voters don’t stand to benefit from this move.”
Lesufi said he has received the go-ahead to reconstitute his provincial cabinet from the ANC’s national leadership. He said the latest appointments will go some way to restoring stability to the provincial government.
It’s a political move aimed at producing a win-win situation. But you can’t trust [EFF leader Julius] Malema, he’s not a reliable person, he has demonstrated that. The voters don’t stand to benefit from this move.
— Ntsikelelo Breakfast, Nelson Mandela University political analyst
“With a legislature of 80 members, instability was a worrying factor when the DA tabled a motion of no confidence. Even though this motion was overwhelmingly rejected by all parties … the possible instability was going to be the hallmark of this administration,” Lesufi said.
“The move shows we might have a stable provincial government and see the EFF supporting ANC even after the upcoming local government elections. Lesufi says he got the go-ahead from the national ANC, but we know some national leaders might not be happy with the reshuffle, especially with the finance position going to the EFF, which continues to challenge the ANC at national level,” said political analyst Thabiso Maphosa.
Solly Msimanga, DA Gauteng leader and member of the provincial legislature, said Lesufi’s decision “will not benefit the residents of Gauteng”. “It will draw the EFF into the executive for him to have an alliance ahead of the local government elections later this year,” he said.
“Lesufi’s desperation to push against the ANC’s national leadership and the government of national unity (GNU) is taking him to new heights. He has paid a high price to the EFF to save his position and Ekurhuleni. Instead of focusing on ensuring that all municipalities in the province function properly and can deliver basic services, he has given in to the threats made by the EFF to destabilise the province after Dunga was removed as the MMC [member of the mayoral committee] for finance in the City of Ekurhuleni.”
The EFF was left seething when Xhakaza fired Dunga from his mayoral cabinet as head of finance in June 2024 and replaced him with ANC Ekurhuleni regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi.
The red berets were riled further in December 2025 when the ANC successfully fielded its councillor, Dora Mlambo, after the EFF’s Nthabiseng Tshivhenga resigned as speaker of Ekurhuleni. The EFF believed it was entitled to reclaim the position.
That prompted Malema to accuse Xhakaza of trying to push the EFF out of the metro, saying his party would reconsider its support for the ANC in Gauteng.
The ANC received less than 35% of votes in the 2024 provincial election, down from just more than 50% in 2019 and required the EFF’s support for Lesufi to be elected premier.
“Lesufi’s decision is a clear indication that he cares little about the needs of the residents of this province ... Dunga has been appointed to a critical position in the executive and given that he was removed from his position as MMC of finance in Ekurhuleni raises questions about his fitness to hold this position,” Msimanga said.
The DA would closely monitor Dunga’s work and ensure that “every rand spent is value for money. We will not allow the public purse to be looted by any official for personal gain”. Dunga will oversee Gauteng’s R179.2bn budget for 2026/27 and be responsible for the province’s finances.
Gauteng contributes about 33% to the national GDP and more than 10% of the total GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The appointment of commissar Dunga is welcomed with confidence, as the EFF firmly believes in his leadership capabilities, discipline and ability to work within a collective while safeguarding and advancing the political programme of the EFF,” EFF Gauteng spokesperson Dumisani Baleni said in a short statement.
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