The fragile relationship between the ANC and EFF in the City of Ekurhuleni suffered another major blow on Thursday after the EFF joined forces with the Democratic Alliance (DA), ActionSA and other opposition parties to reject the metro’s proposed R71-billion budget.
This has deepened uncertainty within the municipality and raised fresh questions about the future of the coalition arrangement.
The budget failed to pass during an extraordinary council sitting at the OR Tambo Government Precinct in Germiston after receiving 96 votes in favour and 105 against.
The outcome marked the clearest indication yet that relations between the ANC and EFF in Ekurhuleni continue to deteriorate following months of tensions, including a public fallout between Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza and EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga.
In a statement issued after the vote, the EFF welcomed the budget’s rejection, describing it as a victory for constitutional governance, transparency and accountability.
“The rejection of this budget therefore represents a victory for constitutional governance, transparency, and accountability,” the party said.
The EFF argued that the proposed budget failed to respond to the realities facing residents and relied on unrealistic revenue projections despite the municipality’s worsening financial position and repeated failures to meet revenue collection targets.
“A municipality that consistently fails to achieve its own revenue targets cannot continue to budget on the basis of wishful thinking while communities bear the consequences of deteriorating service delivery,” the party said.
The party also raised concerns about what it described as significant changes to the budget after the public participation process had already concluded.
Among the objections cited was the establishment of a new Ekurhuleni Development Agency with a proposed allocation of R15 million and the transfer of R62 million from Service Delivery Coordination to the Enterprise Project Management Office.
“These are not administrative corrections but substantive changes that alter spending priorities and institutional arrangements, warranting fresh consideration and proper oversight,” the EFF said.
The party further accused the ANC-led administration of failing to address persistent service delivery failures, including deteriorating roads, sewage spillages, water interruptions, electricity outages and illegal dumping.
“The people of Ekurhuleni cannot be expected to pay more while receiving less,” it said.
In perhaps its strongest criticism, the EFF described the vote as a rejection of “a clueless and incompetent Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza”.
The tensions stem from a breakdown in trust between the coalition partners following disputes over key political appointments in the metro. The EFF accused Xhakaza of reneging on a coalition agreement after an ANC councillor Dora Mlambo was elected Speaker following the resignation of the party’s former speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, despite expectations within the EFF that Dunga would assume the position.
Relations deteriorated further when Xhakaza then reshuffled his mayoral committee and reduced the EFF’s representation from four MMC positions to two. The move prompted the party to reject participation in the mayoral executive, deepening divisions within the coalition.
The dispute eventually required intervention from ANC Gauteng Convenor and Premier Panyaza Lesufi amid threats by EFF leader Julius Malema to withdraw support for ANC-led governments in Gauteng. As part of efforts to stabilise relations, Dunga was later appointed Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development.
The DA, which also voted against the budget, said the ANC-led coalition had attempted to burden residents with tariff increases while failing to address the metro’s underlying governance and service delivery challenges.
According to the DA, the proposed budget would have increased water tariffs by 11%, sanitation charges by 8.35%, electricity tariffs by 9% and refuse removal fees by 4%.
DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane said residents were already struggling with rising living costs and could not absorb further increases.
“These hikes, coupled with successive interest rate hikes and fuel price increases, would have only made life more difficult for residents in the City,” Rasilingwane said.
She argued that the budget did little to address what he described as the systemic collapse of the municipality and said the rejection vindicated the DA’s position.
“The overwhelming majority of councillors used common sense to reject a budget which will do nothing to fix the rot created by successive ANC governments,” she said.
The ANC, however, reacted angrily to the outcome and accused the EFF of abandoning the interests of residents by aligning itself with opposition parties.
Regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the ANC was disappointed that the EFF had once again joined forces with the DA and FF Plus to oppose what he described as a progressive, people-centred and service delivery-driven budget.
“The decision by the EFF to align itself with the DA and FF Plus against this people’s budget exposes a troubling contradiction between its public rhetoric and its actions in Council,” Dlabathi said.
He maintained that the R71-billion budget was fully funded, legislatively compliant and designed to improve infrastructure, stimulate economic growth and accelerate service delivery.
Dlabathi also argued that the budget had undergone extensive public consultation, including engagements with organised labour formations such as South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) and Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (IMATU).
“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,” he said.
The ANC warned that continued delays in approving the budget could have serious consequences for service delivery and infrastructure projects across the metro.
Among the projects that could be affected are interventions aimed at addressing electricity instability in communities such as Kwa-Thema and other areas experiencing persistent power challenges.
The party also warned that delays could affect the city’s ability to implement obligations arising from agreements concluded through the South African Local Government Bargaining Council.
The failed budget vote now places additional pressure on the ANC-led administration to secure support for a revised budget while navigating increasingly strained relations with its coalition partner.
The vote is likely to fuel speculation about the future of the ANC-EFF relationship in Ekurhuleni, particularly as political parties begin positioning themselves ahead of the local government elections.