By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) has recalled the Emfuleni Mayor Sipho Radebe amid basic service delivery failures in the municipality.
This move comes a day after the ANC lost ward 28 to the Democratic Alliance (DA) in a by-election this week.
Radebe has been the mayor of the Emfuleni Local Municipality since November 2021.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula confirmed the decision on Friday, 29 May 2026, acting under Rule 12.2.21.2 of the party constitution.
He said that the party would not allow strategic municipalities to drift ahead of local government elections on 4 November 2026. He said that the removal of an executive mayor does not trigger a by-election.
Mbalula said that the ANC remains committed to the Financial Recovery Plan and fixing local government. He added that while the municipality faces severe financial challenges and qualified Auditor-General findings, the party remains focused on restoring basic services.
Emfuleni was identified by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana as one of 39 municipalities that have persistently failed to pay water boards and other parties such as pension funds, medical aids, SARS, the Auditor-General, and continues to adopt unfunded budgets.
Godongwana informed COGTA minister Velinkosini Hlabisa that he would invoke Section 216(2) of the Constitution against the 39 most dysfunctional municipalities for “persistent non-compliance”. This section allows the National Treasury to stop the transfer of funds to an organ of state if it commits a “serious or persistent material breach” of measures designed to ensure transparency and expenditure control.
Meanwhile Godongwana officially handed over National Treasury’s newly revised financial recovery plan for the North West-based Ditsobotla Local Municipality.
Ditsobotla carries the unfortunate tag of being one of the worst-run municipalities in the country.
Last September, the Cabinet placed it under administration and appointed former Free State Director General Kopung Ralikontsane as an administrator to oversee its day-to-day running.
The financial recovery plan lays bare severe institutional dysfunction of the Municipality. According to the Treasury diagnostic, the municipality has consistently passed unfunded budgets for the past five years.
Furthermore, the entity is currently grappling with a R2.1 billion cash deficit, compounded by dangerously low municipal revenue collection rates.
Godongwana stressed that structural recovery strategy is entirely useless without the administrative and political will to execute it. He has vowed to return to the North West municipality in three months to demand a comprehensive progress report on the implementation of the plan.