A political and governance crisis has erupted in Sedibeng after the embattled executive mayor of Emfuleni revealed he was instructed by ANC regional leaders to resign because the municipality is effectively broke and in decline – as a parallel internal war over alleged irregular spending and a controversial overseas trip escalated to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
In a letter dated February 10 to Mbalula, Emfuleni mayor Sipho Radebe disclosed that he was summoned to a meeting by ANC Sedibeng regional office bearers and told to step down amid worsening financial instability in the municipality.
He said the reason given for the demand was that the municipality “continues to experience severe financial challenges” and that he had “allegedly failed to bring about financial stability”, with claims that Emfuleni “is in a state of decline”.
Radebe’s disclosure lays bare the depth of the crisis inside one of Gauteng’s most financially distressed municipalities and exposes growing internal tensions within ANC structures in the region.
“To suggest that my removal alone will stabilise the municipality within a period of seven to nine months appears inconsistent with the principle of collective leadership and responsibility,” he wrote.
The mayor acknowledged that Emfuleni remains in severe financial and service delivery distress, citing water interruptions, infrastructure backlogs and recurring qualified audit outcomes, but insisted these challenges are structural and long-standing.
“While I do not deny that Emfuleni continues to face serious service delivery and financial challenges… these challenges are structural, historical, and long-standing,” he said.
He argued that when he took office in 2021, the municipality faced a far more devastating crisis and that his administration has since attempted to stabilise finances and services, including negotiating a R1.9-billion debt write-off with Eskom and National Treasury.
Radebe warned that it would be procedurally and politically improper for provincial leaders to reach conclusions about his leadership without giving him an opportunity to present directly to them.
He also suggested the push for his removal may be linked to internal ANC political dynamics following the recent regional conference.
He told Mbalula he is willing to relinquish office if formally instructed by the ANC, but only if the decision is based on factual and organisational grounds.
“I wish to state unequivocally that I have no personal attachment to the office and would relinquish it if required by the organisation, but only on the basis of principle, honesty, and factual integrity.”
The mayor said he has not received formal complaints from coalition partners and has never refused a lawful instruction from the ANC.
The standoff in Emfuleni is unfolding alongside another escalating internal battle in the Sedibeng district municipality, where a controversial trip to Germany by the district executive mayor and allegations of irregular expenditure have triggered a separate appeal to Mbalula for intervention.
Sedibeng speaker Moipone Modikeng has written to the ANC secretary-general demanding urgent intervention, warning that scrutiny of the mayor’s overseas travel expenses and alleged irregular municipal spending has sparked a factional purge.
The Germany trip – described by ANC insiders as a “junket” – has become a flashpoint after questions were raised internally about more than R500 000 in travel expenses incurred by the mayor and municipal manager within seven days, allegedly without proper authorisation.
In a letter dated February 11, Modikeng said an independent report found that the executive mayor, Lerato Maloka, incurred over R500 000 in expenses within a week without proper approval.
According to ANC insiders, anger over the overseas trip and related costs has deepened divisions inside Sedibeng, with some leaders demanding accountability while others move to shield those implicated.
“The Germany trip has become symbolic of everything – spending, power and protection,” said one ANC insider. “Now it has triggered a full-scale purge inside Sedibeng.”
Modikeng said she herself has been instructed by ANC structures to resign as speaker – a move she believes is politically motivated and linked to her insistence on accountability.
She warned that allegations being used to justify her removal were “unsubstantiated and rooted in internal political contestation rather than objective governance concerns”.
Modikeng said she had faced repeated pressure to act outside proper governance processes, including instructions to cancel council meetings and withdraw agenda items related to corruption allegations.
On one occasion, she said, she was instructed to cancel a council sitting an hour before it began because the age da included discussions on allegations involving the municipality’s chief financial officer.
“The SG’s office will have to step in because this has gone beyond a normal internal dispute,” said one party source. “It now affects governance, finances and the credibility of the municipalities.”
Response from Mbalula was still pending at the time of publication.
