By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
City of Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has reshuffled his Mayoral Committee following a meeting with coalition partners on Monday.
It is not immediately clear what had prompted the mayor to change his executive.
Tension between the ANC and the EFF escalated after Nthabiseng Tshivhenga resigned as speaker and the ANC fielded its own candidate to replace her.
There has been growing tension between Xhakaza and the EFF. In June 2024, the mayor fired EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga as finance MMC, replacing him with his ANC comrade Jongizizwe Dlabathi, who retained his position.
Xhakaza took over as mayor in April 2024 after African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor Sivuyile Ngodwana was removed after a no-confidence vote. He later appointed Ngodwana as member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for corporate and shared services. Ngodwana was fired as MMC during the reshuffle, in which the number of portfolios previously held by the EFF dropped from five to two.
According to the Mayor’s office, the framework is intended to improve service delivery, promote stability and ensure a people-centred approach to governance.
The newly appointed MMC members and their portfolios are:
* Metro Utilities (Trading) Services: Clr Jean Sthato
* Metro Operations and Maintenance: Clr Nomadlozi Nkosi
* Human Settlements: Clr Leshaka Manamela
* Development Planning and Real Estate: Clr Dino Peterson
* Roads and Transport: Clr Lindiwe Mnguni
* Community Services and By-Law Enforcement: Clr Xolani Khumalo
* Community Safety: Clr Mzayifani Ngwenya
* Corporate Shared Services: Clr Siphumule Ntombela
* Infrastructure and Economic Development Agency (EDA): Clr Thembi Msane
* Finance and Strategy: Clr Jongizizwe Dlabathi
Acting mayoral spokesperson Ramatolo Tlotleng said Xhakaza effected ” strategic changes to the composition of the city’s mayoral committee with immediate effect from February 17″.
“Following extensive consultation with the multiparty organisations represented in council, which includes 13 of the 16 political parties, an agreed-on Ekurhuleni governance framework was widely accepted to guide the work of the executive. This framework is a foundation to strengthen a sustainable Ekurhuleni government of local unity (EGLU),” he said.
The newly appointed MMC members will be sworn in today at 09:00 at the OR Tambo Government Precinct, in the Mayor’s Parlour.
Meanwhile ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said Xhakaza reached out to the party, and his offer was flatly refused.
“ActionSA is perplexed by this announcement. Obviously the mayor has been burning up the telephone lines to ActionSA leadership and our local structures, trying to bring us into this coalition,” Beaumont said.