EKURHULENI, GAUTENG — ActionSA has hailed the dismissal of three senior Ekurhuleni officials as a long-overdue victory for municipal accountability, following years of alleged governance failures and protective delays within the city’s administration. ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni Regional Chairperson, Michael Basch, welcomed the council’s formal adoption of reports recommending the termination of the head of legal services, the head of human resources, and the chief information officer, but insists that consequence management must now extend to former city leadership.
The disciplinary action follows findings linked to the Madlanga Commission, which has been investigating severe governance irregularities within the municipality. Basch highlighted that ActionSA was the first political party to raise concerns surrounding the “blue lights brigade saga” and the alleged protection of suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) official Julius Mkhwanazi in relation to alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Basch asserted that it is becoming “abundantly clear” that efforts to shield wrongdoing extended all the way to the former city manager’s office, leaving the former city manager with “a lot to answer for.”
A major point of contention for ActionSA has been the excessive time taken by the council to finalize disciplinary matters. Basch pointed out that officials have repeatedly employed delay tactics, such as frequently changing attorneys to shift from oral to written representation and citing constant illnesses, in apparent attempts to drag out proceedings until the end of their employment contracts. While acknowledging the cost implications of these prolonged processes—noting that approximately R4.9 million was spent on one such case—Basch clarified that this was a pre-budgeted line item. He assured residents that these legal costs would not negatively impact essential service delivery, such as water, sewer, or energy provisions.
With the municipality now short of three senior managers just 96 days before the upcoming municipal elections, concerns have been raised about potential compromises to city operations. Dismissing these fears, Basch described Ekurhuleni as the “Hollywood of the metros” due to the prevalence of acting officials, but emphasized that the city remains fully functional. He noted that institutional knowledge and succession plans are firmly in place, ensuring that service delivery will continue uninterrupted while permanent replacements are sourced in the new term.
Responding to the Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, who recently expressed satisfaction that the city would be left in “good standing” at the close of the current term, Basch labeled the sentiment as somewhat opportunistic. He argued that this cleanup was only achieved because the Madlanga Commission forced the issues into the light, adding that the commission has yet to fully investigate the political interference and relationships within the council chamber that enabled these alleged crimes.
Looking ahead, Basch stressed that administrative systems only work when there is genuine political will and leadership unafraid to make unpopular decisions. He affirmed that ActionSA’s post-election focus will be on overhauling Ekurhuleni’s organizational structure to implement robust checks and balances, ensuring that no single individual can ever again wield unchecked power over the city’s administration and that residents are not left bearing the burden of official misconduct.