The ANC has criticised the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) after Ekurhuleni’s proposed R71 billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year was rejected by the city council.

During an extraordinary council meeting at the OR Tambo Government Precinct in Germiston on Thursday, the budget failed to secure the required support, with 96 councillors voting in favour and 105 against.

The rejection means Finance MMC and ANC regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi must return with a revised budget for consideration at a future council sitting.

Following the vote, the ANC accused the EFF of aligning with the DA and FF Plus to block what it described as a pro-poor budget aimed at accelerating service delivery and improving residents’ lives.

Dlabathi said the budget complied with all legislative requirements and was developed through extensive public consultation involving residents, stakeholders and organised labour.

“The people of Ekurhuleni deserve to know that this budget reflects their priorities and aspirations. By opposing it, these parties have effectively turned their backs on the voices of residents who participated in the consultation process and expressed their urgent need for improved service delivery,” he said.

He warned that delays in approving the budget could affect infrastructure projects and municipal operations, including efforts to stabilise electricity supply in areas such as Kwa-Thema and the implementation of agreements affecting municipal workers.

“The ANC rejects the politics of obstruction and self-righteous posturing that continue to undermine progress in our city,” Dlabathi said.

The EFF welcomed the budget’s defeat, describing it as a victory for accountability, constitutional governance and democratic oversight.

In a statement, EFF Gauteng provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said the party opposed the budget because it failed to address the worsening conditions faced by residents and relied on unrealistic revenue assumptions.

“Despite the municipality’s worsening financial position and repeated failures to meet revenue collection targets, the budget continued to rely on unrealistic revenue projections while presenting itself as a credible financial plan,” Dunga said.

The EFF also criticised what it said were significant spending and policy changes introduced after the public participation process had concluded.

Among its concerns were the proposed establishment of an Ekurhuleni Development Agency (EDA) with a budget allocation of R15 million and the transfer of R62 million from Service Delivery Coordination to the Enterprise Project Management Office.

Dunga said these changes represented substantial shifts in spending priorities that should have been subjected to further public scrutiny.

He also argued that the budget failed to address the municipality’s reliance on outsourcing and contracted services while residents continued to experience infrastructure failures, sewage spillages, electricity outages, water interruptions and illegal dumping.

“The rejection of this budget is not a rejection of service delivery. It is a rejection of poor planning, unrealistic assumptions, misplaced priorities, and governance that continues to fail the people of Ekurhuleni,” Dunga said.

The DA also welcomed the budget’s rejection, arguing that it would have imposed an additional financial burden on residents already struggling with the rising cost of living.

DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane said the party voted against what it called an ANC-led coalition budget because it proposed tariff increases without addressing the city’s structural challenges.

“The Democratic Alliance in the City of Ekurhuleni has voted against the budget presented by the ANC-led coalition which would have pushed cash-strapped residents further into financial despair through increased rates and taxes while failing to address the systemic collapse of the city,” Rasilingwane said.

She cited proposed tariff increases of 11% for water, 8.35% for sanitation, 9% for electricity and 4% for refuse removal, saying residents could not absorb additional financial pressure.

“These hikes, coupled with successive interest rate increases and fuel price hikes, would have only made life more difficult for residents in the city,” she said.

The DA said the outcome vindicated its position, arguing that councillors had exercised sound judgement in rejecting a budget that would not resolve the municipality’s governance and service delivery challenges.

The budget impasse follows disputes over voting procedures and legal requirements that led to the collapse of a council meeting last week.

The council is now expected to consider a revised budget, as pressure mounts on political parties to reach consensus on the city’s spending plans.

The delay leaves uncertainty over funding for key infrastructure projects, service delivery programmes and operational commitments in one of South Africa’s largest metropolitan municipalities.

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Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has handed the Ditsobotla Local Municipality its revised Financial Recovery Plan (FRP), which is meant to tackle a R2.1 billion cash shortfall, creditor payment days of more than 3,000 days and bloated staff costs of 720 workers, when the municipality is said to require just over half that number, or about 450 employees.

The handover was witnessed by North West Finance MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi, Ditsobotla mayor Molefe Morutse and National Cabinet Representative, effectively the municipal administrator, Kopung Ralikontsane.

Ditsobotla is in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in North West and is anchored in the town of Lichtenburg, with surrounding towns including Coligny and Biesiesvlei. The municipality is mainly an agricultural hub, but it has also lost dairy producer Clover due to poor infrastructure and services.

Ralikontsane was appointed last September when the municipality was placed under an intervention through section 139(7) of the Constitution. Ditsobotla has had eight previous unsuccessful interventions, but none appears to have worked.

“I can only surmise that part of the reason for eight failures is that we have not fully embraced what it means to be under an intervention,” said Godongwana at the handover.

“When a municipality is under intervention, it is not operating under normal conditions. The municipality is operating under constrained conditions with fewer financial resources. Therefore, it cannot be “business as usual” in the way the day-to-day activities are run and managed”

Godongwana noted a need for a change in mindset, saying: “Habits, attitudes and mindsets must shift in this process. An intervention mindset must be adopted to kickstart recovery. I believe that officials from the Municipal Financial Recovery Services unit are already assisting the municipality with change management.”

In April this year, the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration, including Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements and Water and Sanitation, at the National Council of Provinces, called for better co-ordination in supporting the municipality.

Committee chairperson Mxolisi Kaunda said that while National Treasury and Cogta were supporting Ditsobotla, other departments, such as Human Settlements, also needed to become more involved.

Godongwana noted that the intervention does not come with a financial bailout.

“Neither national nor provincial interventions are accompanied by financial bailouts.” Godongwana said.

“However, this does not mean that other forms of support will not be provided to get you moving. The National Treasury will provide you with fuel by exploring options to assist the municipality with smart metering and metering for bulk supply and will investigate further opportunities for assistance.”

This means Ditsobotla will be assisted to restore its revenue collection measures. The municipality has received some financial support from national government. For example, Cogta and National Treasury have allocated R30 million to help procure fleet vehicles to resume waste management.

The Treasury report notes that revenue collection rates stand at 44%, while outstanding consumer debt is about R1.3 billion. The report says “weak credit control measures, poor billing systems and resistance to debt collection have undermined revenue recovery efforts.”

Treasury says Ditsobotla has completed the section 78 process required to sign the Distribution Agency Agreement with Eskom.

“This is a partnership where Eskom takes over electricity revenue collection and technical management in struggling municipalities,” Treasury said.

Various departments also made an undertaking to support the municipality during a visit by Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

The FRP shows that the municipality’s 2025/26 medium-term budget is unfunded by R2.1 billion, after all liabilities are considered, with no cash available to cover operating expenses against the standard period of between one and three months.

Electricity distribution losses stand at 85%, while water distribution losses stand at 58%. The municipality’s creditor payment period is 3,188 days, meaning it takes, on average, more than eight years to pay creditors.

Ralikontsane has said the current workforce of 720 is far above what the municipality requires, with Ditsobotla needing about 450 workers to operate efficiently.

Earlier this year, the Democratic Alliance raised alarm over spending on the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, which in 2024/25 had an allocation of R32 million, while spending stood at below 50% and internal roads and key arterial routes vital for connectivity and economic activity were deteriorating.

At the same time, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union pointed out that the municipality had not handed over workers’ pension contributions for more than a year.

The troubled municipality is expected to remain under supervision well beyond the upcoming local government elections.

“The National Treasury will continue with oversight visits and closely monitor the implementation of the financial recovery plan through the monthly progress reporting by the municipality and through War Room meetings which will take place quarterly”, Godongwana said.

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The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) has flagged procurement failures at the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), saying appointment processes for service providers are largely uncompetitive and unfair, while poor record-keeping and governance weaknesses continue to undermine accountability and service delivery.

Briefing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), AGSA official Fhumulani Rabonda said most municipal projects were characterised by unjustified deviations linked to poor planning, which proved costly and highlighted systemic procurement failures.

“[Disciplinary boards] have not been effective in ensuring that they are up to date with all investigations and disciplinary cases. This is due to slow response from management, slow submission of information and the backlog they need to deal with,” he said on Tuesday.

“The key area resulting in procurement failures has to do with the processes themselves. The processes we embark on to appoint service providers have been found to be uncompetitive and unfair.”

AGSA also raised concerns over weak financial discipline at CoJ, including inadequate revenue collection, which resulted in nearly R4 billion in lost electricity revenue. Water revenue losses due to leaks amounted to about R2 billion, while illegal connections accounted for a further R790 million.

Rabonda said the municipality also faces challenges of “cut-off expenditure”, where transactions are recorded in the wrong financial year. He warned that the practice undermines accountability and contributes to irregular expenditure.

“It speaks to a lack of financial discipline in terms of daily and monthly reconciliations to ensure expenditure relating to a particular financial year has been fully and accurately reported,” he said.

He added that the city is operating on an unfunded budget, driven by “unrealistic revenue targets”, resulting in unauthorised expenditure linked to overspending on unfunded items.

The CoJ has also allocated a “significantly low” 4% of its budget to maintenance, compared with the required 8%, limiting its ability to address widespread infrastructure decay.

“The reason irregular expenditure and unauthorised expenditure need to be disclosed is because it is a starting point for municipalities to embark on accountability processes. It must be investigated, and those liable must be held accountable, and where losses are incurred, they must be recovered,” Rabonda said.

AGSA concluded that the City’s overall control environment remains weak, raising concerns about its financial health and instability in political and administrative leadership.

It recommended stronger consequence management, improved preventative and detective controls, and the stabilisation of senior management to strengthen accountability.

The auditor-general also called for the rigorous implementation of ICT systems, describing them as a “fundamental enabler of municipal service delivery” and critical to improving the credibility of financial reporting.

“ICT must never be a ‘by the way’ focus area. It needs to be diligently prioritised by the municipality, as we have noted weak IT governance which has resulted in delayed projects or failed system implementation,” Rabonda said.

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Western Cape police have dismissed social media claims that 19-year-old Nhlamulo Sambo was killed because he spoke Xitsonga in a predominantly isiXhosa-speaking community or that his death was linked to anti-illegal immigration protests in Mossel Bay.

The clarification follows an online appeal by Sambo’s mother, Patricia Sambo, who alleged that her son had been murdered because he spoke Xitsonga. In a video circulating on social media, she also sought financial assistance to transport his body from Mossel Bay to Limpopo for burial.

Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile told the SABCNEWS that preliminary investigations indicated Sambo’s death was unrelated to the recent unrest in the area.

According to Patekile, Sambo and a 15-year-old companion were allegedly found inside a shack attempting to remove items when the owner returned.

“The deceased and a 15-year-old were found in an empty shack while the owner was away. As they were allegedly trying to remove property, the owner returned. The 15-year-old hid under a bed, while the owner chased after the deceased and allegedly stabbed him to death,” Patekile said.

He said the incident was not linked to the March and March protests that took place on Friday and Saturday.

Police said they were investigating three murder cases linked to the recent violence in Mossel Bay, including the deaths of two Mozambican nationals and Sambo.

In a statement, police said investigations into the deaths of two Mozambican men, aged 27 and 43, were continuing and that no arrests had yet been made.

Public Order Police remain deployed in Mossel Bay following unrest in the Asla Park informal settlement in KwaNonqaba, where about 55 shacks were allegedly torched last week, displacing more than 400 people.

Undocumented migrants affected by the violence say they have lost their homes, belongings and sources of income.

Mossel Bay Community Safety Portfolio Committee chairperson Leon van Dyk said humanitarian assistance, including food and other essentials, was being provided to displaced residents.

The incident has also fuelled political tensions. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Naledi Chirwa criticised March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, accusing the movement’s anti-illegal immigration rhetoric of contributing to a climate of hostility that preceded Sambo’s death.

The claims intensified public debate over accountability, migration and community safety before police rejected suggestions that Sambo’s killing was linked to xenophobic violence or the protests.

Police have arrested five suspects since the unrest began. Two were charged with public violence and granted bail of R1,000 each after appearing in court.

Three others are expected to appear in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court on charges relating to the possession of suspected stolen property.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) reiterated its commitment to protecting the constitutional right to protest but warned that criminal conduct and incitement to violence would not be tolerated.

The developments come amid heightened tensions over anti-illegal immigration protests in several parts of South Africa.

Organisers of the March and March movement are continuing to mobilise support for a planned national shutdown on June 30, although questions remain over the scale and impact of the action.

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The speaker of the uMshwathi Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has been asked to launch an investigation into Deputy Mayor Nokuthula Mdunge over allegations that she helped create a senior municipal post which she later applied for and secured.

Speaker Sbo Mbatha-Ntuli received a joint motion from Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillors Thandaza Nxumalo and Mzwandile Majozi, who argued that the municipality risked legal embarrassment if it failed to act.

The councillors alleged that Mdunge, a member of the African National Congress (ANC), participated in a process to amend the municipality’s organogram, resulting in the creation of the position of Manager for Intergovernmental Relations (IGR), carrying a monthly salary of about R52,000.

Mdunge later applied for the position, was shortlisted despite objections, and was subsequently appointed, according to the motion.

The allegations have intensified scrutiny of the scandal-plagued municipality, with Majozi previously writing to the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), urging it to intervene. It was not immediately clear whether the department had acted.

In the latest move, Nxumalo joined Majozi in calling for an investigation into what they described as an abuse of power and conflict of interest.

On May 18, 2026, the two councillors submitted a motion requesting that the matter be placed before council for formal consideration.

“The Deputy Mayor applied, and was shortlisted for a municipal administrative position within uMshwathi Local Municipality while still serving as a political office bearer,” the motion stated.

It further alleged that council deliberated on matters relating to vacancies and the review of the municipal organogram that directly affected the recruitment process, while Mdunge failed to disclose her personal interest or recuse herself from proceedings.

The councillors cited provisions of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Structures Act, arguing that councillors were required to act in good faith, avoid conflicts of interest and protect the integrity of the municipality.

They also referenced Section 195 of the Constitution, which requires public administration to uphold professional ethics, transparency and accountability.

The motion calls for council to formally declare that Mdunge’s conduct constitutes a prima facie breach of the councillors’ code of conduct and for the speaker to institute disciplinary proceedings in terms of Schedule 7 of the Municipal Structures Act.

The councillors further demanded that Mdunge recuse herself from all matters relating to staffing, vacancies, organogram reviews and recruitment processes pending the outcome of the investigation.

They also called for the recruitment process linked to the IGR position to be suspended pending legal review “to protect fairness and public confidence”.

Should the allegations be confirmed, the councillors want the matter referred to KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi for further action.

Speaker Mbatha-Ntuli did not respond to requests for comment.

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The ANC’s Regional Executive Committee (REC) in Ekurhuleni has nominated Jongizizwe Dlabathi, the MMC for finance and strategy and regional secretary, as its mayoral candidate, Inside Metros can reveal.

Dlabathi was selected at an REC meeting held last week, securing 20 votes, ahead of regional chair and incumbent mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, who received 13 votes.

Other nominees included Nomadlozi Nkosi, MMC for metro operations, who received 14 votes, and councillor Pelisa Nkunjana, who previously served as council chief whip.

Xhakaza is understood to be resisting the move, while it remains unclear whether the nomination has been formally communicated to the ANC’s provincial or national leadership.

Xhakaza declined to comment and referred enquiries to Dlabathi, who did not respond. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu also did not respond to requests for comment.

The nomination places the Ekurhuleni REC at odds with the ANC national leadership.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has previously said regional secretaries should be deployed full-time to regional offices and not hold public office, raising questions about Dlabathi’s dual role.

Xhakaza and Dlabathi are understood to have a strained relationship, following recent changes in the mayoral committee, including the removal of EFF councillor Bonga Duma, who has since been appointed MEC for finance in Gauteng.

Dlabathi is said to have attempted to resign from his mayoral committee position but was reportedly blocked by the REC.

Xhakaza is also pursuing action linked to findings of the Madlanga Commission, further widening tensions within the regional leadership.

The ANC currently governs City of Ekurhuleni through a coalition with several parties.

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More than 70% of South Africans aged between 18 and 19 have not registered to vote despite being eligible, the Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Wednesday as it launched its campaign for the 2026 Local Government Elections.

The IEC officially launched the election programme at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg ahead of voter registration weekend scheduled for June 20-21 and the municipal elections on Nov. 4.

IEC general manager for civic and democracy education, research and knowledge management Moagisi Sibanda said the commission was intensifying efforts to attract first-time voters, particularly young people, amid growing distrust in democratic institutions and elections globally.

“It’s something that we are challenged with, but we are not afraid of the challenge,” Sibanda said.

“Today we launched and showcased a plethora of initiatives that are meant to counter this distrust and to invite South Africans back into the fold and to remind them that they have a role to play.”

She said democracy depended on active citizen participation and that the commission’s research confirmed widespread disengagement among young people.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the national voter registration weekend would involve 24,000 registration stations across 4,488 municipal wards.

He said stations would operate over the two days to allow citizens to register, verify their details and confirm their voting districts.

“The Commission has deployed over 800 municipal outreach coordinators, including persons with disabilities, across the country to drive voter education and awareness, reinforcing inclusive participation ahead of the elections,” Mamabolo said.

He said more than 62,000 community events had been held nationwide since the start of the year as part of ongoing voter education campaigns.

Mamabolo added that a door-to-door voter communication and registration drive conducted between May 11 and May 24 had reached 212 of South Africa’s 214 municipalities.

He said the IEC’s tertiary institutions campaign had reached nearly 98,000 students through more than 1,000 activations across all nine provinces, resulting in more than 45,000 student registrations.

“The Schools Democracy Programme, implemented in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, continues to build awareness by educating learners on democratic principles and electoral processes, while encouraging eligible learners aged 16 and older to pre-register,” he said.

Mamabolo said the commission had introduced several initiatives aimed at reversing declining voter turnout, including an online voter registration portal and a youth-focused programme titled “Beats for My Peeps”, developed in partnership with the SABC to combat voter apathy and misinformation.

He said the IEC had also expanded its contact centre into a multi-channel platform offering voice, live chat, email and social media support, while publishing a digital Atlas of Results for the 2024 national and provincial elections.

“The Commission is committed to delivering credible elections through collective responsibility, vigilance and active collaboration with all stakeholders, particularly in the face of rising misinformation,” Mamabolo said.

He added that the IEC was working with the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), Africa Check and Moxii Africa to train more than 500 journalists across all nine provinces.

Mamabolo reminded eligible South Africans that voter registration would take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 20 and 21 and urged registered voters to confirm that their details, including voting districts, were correct.

Only voters registered at a specific voting station would be allowed to vote there, he said.

Electoral Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the commission’s new communication strategies recognised the shift toward a decentralised and digitally driven media environment.

“Our new initiatives seek to transform communication from a periodic information broadcast into a continuous national dialogue,” Moepya said.

“Our strategic focus is clearly directed at young people.”

He said the commission aimed to counter growing political disengagement among young voters by integrating democratic education into the digital and cultural spaces they occupied.

Moepya said local democracy had the potential to become a practical tool for immediate community change.

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Johannesburg deputy executive mayor Loyiso Masuku has tabled the city’s R90 billion mid-term budget, flagging serious weaknesses in three core trading services while insisting it still provides space for financial recovery.

Tabling the budget on Wednesday during a council sitting, Masuku — who also serves as Joburg’s MMC for finance — said electricity, water and sanitation, and waste management, which are expected to generate significant revenue, have been undermined by structural and operational challenges.

She cited split accountability, declining revenue collection, underinvestment in capital infrastructure, governance failures and institutional fatigue as key drivers of the decline.

“Non-revenue water losses exceed 40%. Electricity distribution losses stand at 27%. The combined infrastructure renewal backlog across Johannesburg Water, City Power and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) exceeds R185 billion,” she said.

“Without meaningful institutional reform, capital investment alone cannot achieve sustainable service delivery.”

Masuku tabled the 2026/27 budget as follows:
• Operating revenue: R90.4 billion
• Operating expenditure: R88.3 billion
• Projected surplus: R2.1 billion (before taxation and capital grants)
• Capital budget: R8.8 billion (R25.3 billion over the medium term)

She said the total budget for the next financial year would amount to R97.1 billion, with key revenue drivers including electricity at R27.8 billion, water and wastewater at R21.5 billion, property rates at R18.8 billion and refuse removal at R3.6 billion.

Masuku outlined the following allocations:
• R28.3 billion for operational expenditure at City Power, with a capital programme of R6.7 billion over the medium term
• R21.6 billion for Johannesburg Water operational expenditure, with R6.4 billion in capital investment over the medium term
• R5.2 billion for waste management, including landfill rehabilitation, fleet reliability, waste diversion and illegal dumping removal
• R1.8 billion for roads and stormwater operations, with R570 million in capital investment for road surfacing, gravel road upgrades and related works
• R7.2 billion for JMPD visibility, by-law enforcement, emergency services, CCTV and the integrated intelligence operations centre, public lighting, urban management, inner-city enforcement and disaster management capacity

“This budget strengthens revenue recovery through the Revenue War Room, enforcement-backed collection, billing credibility improvements, debt collection, Section 118 sales in execution, outdoor advertising enforcement, development contributions, asset optimisation and improved financial controls,” she said.

Masuku said the city’s Debt Relief Programme remained an important intervention for residents genuinely unable to pay, but warned that the municipality could not function if those who could afford to pay refused to do so.

She cautioned that non-payment was crippling service delivery, delaying infrastructure maintenance and ultimately harming poorer communities.

“The social contract is clear: the City must bill correctly, deliver services and respond to complaints — and residents, businesses and government departments that can pay must pay. This is what it means to build Johannesburg together.

“Johannesburg is a microcosm of a South Africa that is riddled with inequality and buckling under pressure — but it remains a city of resilience, work, struggle, ambition and hope,” she said.

She added that the city was finalising development finance linked to energy projects, including a council-approved loan facility from a German state-owned development and promotional bank worth about 200 million euros to support City Power’s infrastructure pipeline.

The city is also in discussions with Eskom over outstanding debt and recovery interventions, with support from national government, SALGA, regulators and financial institutions.

Masuku reminded councillors that the inner city remains the “pulse of Johannesburg”, pointing to a range of revitalisation projects in the pipeline.

These include the Inner-City Eastern Gateway, High Court precinct, Partnership Fund, Walkable Network, rental flat renewal, Florence House, Hillbrow Hospital, Joubert Park, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Jack Mincer Taxi Facility and De Villiers Street upgrades.

“Inner-city spend is distributed across multiple votes towards precinct-based revitalisation, public environment upgrades, building rehabilitation, hijacked building interventions, public lighting, by-law enforcement, informal trading support and partnerships with business and civil society,” she said.

She said the rehabilitation of the inner city required a multi-pronged approach encompassing safety and security, visible policing, governance, investment, housing, transport, culture, cleanliness and economic activation.

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ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said on Tuesday that candidates for mayoral positions ahead of the 2026 local government elections will be subjected to public participation processes and will be required to take up ANC membership.

Mbalula said the ANC had broken with its traditional practice of only fielding members in good standing, and would now also consider candidates nominated by communities to stand under the party’s banner.

He said individuals who had embraced the ANC and were endorsed by community members would be eligible to serve under its banner.

He added that some current ANC councillors serving under the party’s name were not members in good standing, and said the same approach would now apply to mayoral candidates.

“So, we are following the same pattern when it comes to mayors. It is something new. We are introducing something that is called by mandate of the National General Council and the NEC, central control of mayors,” he said.

“You will need a person who has gone through the eye of the needle, with all capabilities that individual can possess to run a city like Johannesburg rather than just leave it to chance. That is why we infused centrality, popular participation, but at the same time head-hunting to look at people who have skills and capacity to run these cities and drive development and service delivery,” he said.

He said national officials would ultimately interview candidates, with the party expected to announce its mayoral candidates by 26 June 2026 to campaign ahead of the elections.

“The work of every cadre, every branch, every region and every province of the African National Congress now converges on the date of the local government elections of 4 November 2026,” Mbalula said.

“The ANC carries into this period the standing inheritance of its canon — the Freedom Charter, on which the ANC has rested for over seven decades, and which we shall again commemorate on Freedom Charter Day on 26 June 2026.”

Mbalula further said the NEC had confirmed eight municipalities under active Inter-Ministerial Committee intervention for performance turnaround, and directed the North West PEC to table a provincial stabilisation plan.

He said the Local Government Action Plan, now six months into implementation, had been ratified in its current pillar ratings.

“The NEC subcommittee on local government interventions has been directed to segment the work into short-, medium- and long-term horizons within 14 days,” he said.

On infrastructure, Mbalula said ANC deployees in government had been instructed to prioritise roads, water and electricity delivery.

“These are the immediate things that touch the lives of our people. Where water scarcity is most acute, the NEC resolved that no community should be without water, and that immediate implementation of boreholes and spring water connections must be rolled out,” he said.

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Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Jacob Mamabolo says one of the biggest successes since the October 2024 Local Government Turnaround Summit has been the stabilisation of the province’s water supply system through coordinated interventions between municipalities, national government and Rand Water.

Speaking during the Gauteng Local Government Turnaround Strategy progress briefing in Sandton on Sunday, Mamabolo said the province had made significant progress in strengthening cooperation across all spheres of government to tackle water disruptions, infrastructure failures and weak municipal performance.

A major breakthrough came in February when the Gauteng government established an Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Water Operations Centre to coordinate responses to the province’s escalating water crisis.

The intervention, announced by Mamabolo in early February, followed recurring outages linked to ageing infrastructure, leaks, high demand and maintenance backlogs.

The operations centre brought together national departments, Rand Water, metros and municipalities to improve real-time monitoring, coordination and emergency response efforts.

“As a province, we believe that we can tackle the challenges facing our people through cooperation and collaboration, and not through finger pointing,” Mamabolo said at the time.

Sunday’s briefing focused on the implementation of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy adopted after the October 2024 summit, with municipalities outlining interventions aimed at strengthening governance, financial recovery, infrastructure protection and service delivery.

Mamabolo described the turnaround strategy as a long-term programme to rebuild municipalities and restore public confidence.

“The Local Government Turnaround Strategy is not an event, but a sustained commitment to strengthening municipalities, improving governance and accelerating service delivery,” he said.

“We recognise that significant work remains to address long-standing challenges facing communities, and we remain convinced that progress is achieved through partnership, collaboration and a shared sense of purpose. Together, we are stronger.”

The province’s water crisis affected areas including Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Mogale City, largely due to pump station failures and major pipe bursts that disrupted supply.

In February, Deputy President Paul Mashatile convened a national Water Task Team after widespread disruptions left reservoirs depleted and exposed water losses averaging 33% in some municipal systems.

Government later confirmed that Rand Water had restored full supply capacity, while Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina authorised additional water abstraction from the Integrated Vaal River System to help stabilise Gauteng’s network.

Mamabolo said coordinated interventions under the turnaround strategy were beginning to show results through improved oversight, infrastructure maintenance and technical support to struggling municipalities.

Among the interventions highlighted were accelerated repairs to leaks and pump stations, pressure management systems, refurbishment of reservoirs, technical deployment teams and the ring-fencing of infrastructure grants to prioritise critical projects.

Mamabolo also highlighted efforts to reduce financial strain on municipalities after it emerged that Gauteng municipalities had spent R264 million on outsourced water tanker services over the past three years.

He recently urged municipalities to invest in their own tanker fleets to cut costs and improve emergency response capacity.

Sunday’s briefing also explored the province’s Smart City Region vision, with presentations focusing on digital innovation, integrated planning and stronger intergovernmental coordination as key tools to improve municipal performance.

Mamabolo said innovation and collaboration would remain central to the province’s efforts to strengthen local government and improve residents’ daily lives.

“Today, we are briefing the people of Gauteng on the work undertaken with all municipalities since the adoption of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy as a coordinated programme to address challenges affecting the local sphere of government,” he said.

The provincial government said municipalities would continue providing regular progress reports as the turnaround programme advances across the province.

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