Chaotic scenes at Ekurhuleni council on 29 February 2024.( Photo: Screengrab) 
“The ANC and EFF need to sit down and review their coalition agreement. They should ask themselves if the coalition arrangement is really working and make a decision… If they can’t make a decision, I will make a decision,” Executive mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana told Daily Maverick on Friday, 1 March 2024, after a scuffle between the two parties broke out on Thursday, 29 February.
This was the latest incident to hit the metro during an ordinary council meeting that was scheduled to debate an ActionSA sponsored motion of no confidence against incumbent Ngodwana, among other items.
Ngodwana, who is from the AIC party, made the remarks as tension between the ANC and EFF affected critical service delivery functions, and councillors feared liquidity issues that could cost the municipality its clean audit status.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Cracks continue to appear in ANC/EFF Ekurhuleni coalition over state of city's finances
The situation has become dire, so much that the DA, which sits in the opposition benches, is calling for the dissolution of council as it believes that the municipality is unable to fulfil its executive obligations in terms of the Constitution.
Before the motion could be debated, an amendment was being discussed which saw the EFF request a 30-minutes caucus break, but they remained in the chambers. Shortly after this, the meeting descended into chaos, EFF councillors started heckling, throwing bottles of water around, and fist fights predominantly between ANC and EFF members.
Reflecting on the events of the council meeting, Ngodwana said, “What happened is something I am not proud of, I am disappointed and embarrassed.”
Scenes in Ekurhuleni on 29 February 2024. (Photo: Screengrab)
Thoughts on the sidelines
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the chaotic meeting, ANC Gauteng Secretary TK Nciza expressed shock at anarchy displayed by the EFF.
This, as he confirmed the ANC would support the motion against Ngodwana, due to his shortcomings — this is despite the fact that ANC was instrumental in Ngodwana’s election to the top position.
In supporting the motion, Nciza said he was not oblivious to the fact that it would further strain the duo’s relationship. “I guess we have to put our people first as the ANC. We have been talking to them, we have been whispering in their ears, especially the regional leadership…”
Nciza further argued, “The arrogance that has been displayed by the leaders of the EFF in Ekurhuleni for the longest of time was really not assisting the municipality.
Despite being in a coalition, he said the ANC would not sit back and look on while residents suffer. “We can’t subject the people of Ekurhuleni to such conditions because there is a gun to our heads.”
EFF’s ‘hunger to hold onto power’
Meanwhile, the DA’s Tania Campbell — who was previously the executive mayor, and removed from the same position through a motion of no confidence — also decried the EFF’s behaviour, which it labelled as undemocratic.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Ekurhuleni: DA’s Tania Campbell removed, AIC’s Sivuyile Ngodwana elected as new mayor
“The violent collapse of the council by the EFF demonstrates their hunger to continue to hold onto power and have access to the city’s coffers at any cost. A motion of no confidence is a fair democratic process, but the thuggery demonstrated by the EFF showcases that they have no desire to participate in democracy and will resort to whatever means necessary to keep their EFF puppet mayor in power so that they can continue to loot at the expense of service delivery to residents.
The EFF’s Gauteng leader Nkululeko Dunga could not be reached for comment at the time of publishing.
Collapse of council meeting
Following the collapse of the council meeting, the DA said it would use all channels available to it to ensure that the council sits again and that the motion is debated.
“Unfortunately, political self-interests and personal egos took priority over residents’ needs. We believe the only way forward for the City of Ekurhuleni is to go to fresh elections,” Campbell said.
Ngodwana was however against the suggestion of fresh elections. “The DA is just grandstanding. If we agree to that, we would still go back to the very instability, which is not going to assist the residents. The only way out of the chaos of the metro is if the ANC and EFF iron out their issues,” he suggested.
“What we need to do is that, those parties that are in coalition, they must sit down and agree on terms of reference or how they are going to work.”
This is however unlikely as the relationship between the ANC and EFF has had cracks in the relationship for a while.
In June 2023, the council’s chief whip, ANC regional chairperson Jongizizwe Dlabathi, penned a letter to the ANC’s provincial leadership, asking that it reconsider the coalition.
He warned that the ANC was at risk of losing its support base to the EFF if the coalition remained in place.
Little or nothing was done by the leadership. While the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) has supported abandoning its coalitions with the EFF, the Gauteng ANC is reportedly reluctant to act.
In January, Daily Maverick reported that there were fears that the metro could lose its clean audit outcome status.
Ekurhuleni’s recent history
Ekurhuleni is the only metro other than Cape Town that received a clean audit from the Auditor-General in 2022/23. However, opposition parties say this does not reflect the reality and point to a worsening service delivery and financial situation.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Cracks continue to appear in ANC/EFF Ekurhuleni coalition over state of city's finances
The metro, a key contributor to the economy of Gauteng and South Africa, was under the control of a DA-led coalition after the 2021 local government elections. In 2022, a marriage between the ANC, EFF and their allies saw a strong partnership in the council, with a total of 117 seats against the DA’s coalition with 94 seats. The ANC and EFF embarked on a takeover of other metros, including Johannesburg, which the ANC lost to a DA-led coalition in 2021.
The ANC and the EFF each took control of five service delivery portfolios, with the EFF holding the crucial portfolio of finance, which is headed by Dunga.
The multiparty was due to meet on Friday afternoon to discuss a way forward. Ngodwana was unfazed by the possibility of being removed through a motion of no-confidence.
“Whether I survive or not, the important thing is that we need to ensure that we put the residents of Ekurhuleni first and don’t bring about instability… I remain ready to serve the residents, with or without being a mayor.” DM