By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
City of Ekurhuleni (COE) 2026/27 budget has failed to secure council approval in a fourth attempt, intensifying concerns over governance, service delivery, and political instability in the city.
During the latest extraordinary council sitting held last Thursday, only 95 councillors voted in favour of adopting the budget, while 105 voted against it.
Finance and Strategy MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the executive would continue engaging political parties in an effort to secure support for the budget.
“We will continue to engage political parties because it is the role of the executive in the ANC-led municipality to try and reach out to political parties, said Dlabathi.
In a statement released following the vote, The Freedom Front Plus Dalie Steyn, says they warned that the budget is based on unrealistic assumptions, including a collection rate of 90%, a projected surplus of R1,523 billion and proposed bridging finance of R500 million.
In the interim, more information regarding Ekurhuleni’s electricity tariffs came to light which further undermines the credibility of the budget, said Steyn.
She added that, “It is extremely problematic for the Freedom Front Plus that the Council is expected to adopt a budget that relies heavily on electricity revenue, while the underlying tariff structure remains uncertain.”
This follows an announcement, on instruction of the court, by the electricity regulator, NERSA, that it will only make its final decision on Ekurhuleni’s tariff structure known on 23 June 2026.
Several smaller and independent parties have voiced support for the budget, describing it as one of the most balanced financial plans the city has seen in years.
Dlabathi said, “There is a deadline, and the budget must be approved by June 30.”
He said several concessions had already been made in response to concerns raised by opposition parties, including the presentation of a revised budget at the previous council sitting.
“We have made concessions in response to inputs from other political parties. That is why, at the last council meeting, we presented a revised item as a way of demonstrating that we are listening,” he added.
Dlabathi maintained that the budget is sound and complies with national requirements.
He said they remain hopeful that ongoing negotiations will yield a breakthrough at the next council sitting scheduled for this week, which could determine the next steps if the impasse continues.