Newly elected Ekurhuleni mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana has set the tone for the coalition government which comprises the African Independent Congress (AIC), EFF, and ANC.
On Thursday Ngodwana, a councillor of the AIC, announced and inaugurated a 10-member mayoral committee consisting solely of councillors from the EFF and the ANC.
Ngodwana’s rise to power was facilitated by the backing of EFF and ANC councillors, and the composition of his mayoral committee reflects the political coalition dynamics at play within the metro.
The mayoral committee comprises EFF members including Nkululeko Dunga, the party’s Gauteng chairperson who will head the influential finance portfolio, as well as Leshaka Manamela, the MMC for water, sanitation and energy, Andile Mngwevu, the MMC for transport planning, roads and stormwater, Bridget Thusi, the MMC for community services: health and social development, and Eunice Matloga, the MMC for environment and waste management services.
The remaining five members appointed are from the ANC, with Kgopelo Hollo serving as the MMC for infrastructure services: real estate, Sizakele Masuku as the MMC for community safety: Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department, and Nkosindiphile Xhakaza as the MMC for corporate and shared services, which includes human resources, communications and brand management, strategy, risk, legal, and internal audit.
The EFF has expressed satisfaction with the appointment of its councillors, stating their confidence in each of them.
According to Sinawo Thambo, EFF’s national spokesperson, this marks a significant step for the party, as they now hold influential positions in the governance of the City of Ekurhuleni, making it one of the first municipalities where the EFF plays a significant role.
Thambo believes that the appointment of EFF councillors will improve the financial stability of the Gauteng industrial hub, ensure sustainable energy, reliable infrastructure, 24-hour health services, and provide effective waste management to solve sewage spillages and illegal dumping issues.
“The appointment means that the City of Ekurhuleni is one of the first municipalities where the EFF has a firm governance role to play in the whole of South Africa, and where we occupy strategic positions which will allow us to implement the policies of the EFF to better the lives of our people,” said Thambo.
“The EFF has the utmost faith that these dedicated councilors will turn around the City of Ekuruleni and stabilise the finances of the industrial hub of Gauteng.”
Thambo added that the appointments demonstrate the party’s preparedness to govern.
“The appointment of the MMCs in Ekurhuleni, following the appointment of EFF councilors as MMCs in the City of Johannesburg and the election of EFF councilor Bethel Munyai as speaker of Rand West district municipality, reaffirms the declaration made by the EFF that we are indeed ready to govern.
“We encourage all newly elected MMCs and speakers to ensure good governance in all municipalities and deliver services to our people with diligence and selflessness,” he said.
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