African National Congress (ANC) Gauteng provincial secretary, Thembinkosi "TK" Nciza says they have invited all parties to negotiations towards a Government of Provincial Unity, but others did not form part of the engagement.
This was as the party tried to get more partners to work with others after the Government of National Unity (GNU) was introduced by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This is after the the ANC failed to win outright majority in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Addressing the matter of the fired Finance MMC Nkululeko Dunga and tensions between the ANC and EFF in Ekurhuleni, Nciza said they have worked with the EFF for the longest time, but the issue is Dunga must be resolved.
This is after the EFF leader Julius Malema had threatened mass resignations of their Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) from municipalities where the party is sharing power with the ANC, if fired Dunga was not reinstated.
Dunga was removed as MMC on Wednesday by Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza due to “unforeseen misalignments”.
In a statement, Xhakaza said: “This decision is aimed at ensuring that we can effectively fast-track the completion and approval of the annual budget, a critical task for the continued development and growth of our city."
Malema revealed that he had spoken with ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa directly about the issue and should they fail to respond within the deadline, then the EFF would withdraw their MMCs.
This includes metros like the City of Johannesburg, Mogale City, as well as the City of Ekurhuleni.
“If we are not finding each other with the President, we are going to withdraw all our MMCs in all areas where we are participating with the ANC.
“If Dunga is not reinstated as Finance MMC, then all our MMCs will step down,” he said.
However, Ekurhuleni councillors have for more than a year complained about the leadership of Dunga, as the finances were reportedly declining.
Many have alleged that Dunga was misusing the funds of the metro for personal gain and not for the people.
But he has since dismissed that and described it as lies and false accusations.
On Thursday, IOL reported political party ActionSA welcomed the decision to remove Dunga from his position.
ActionSA City of Ekurhuleni caucus leader, Siyanda Makhubi said: “ActionSA maintained from the start that the inclusion of the EFF into the mayoral committee had hampered service delivery, delivered our first negative audit outcome in years and slowed down progress towards insourcing.
"Councillor Dunga, who is also the EFF provincial chairperson, garnered several controversies during his term of office.”
The ANC in Ekurhuleni has also welcomed the decision.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics