A late-night announcement by Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza regarding changes to his Mayoral Committee (Mayco) has plunged the metro into fresh political chaos, with ActionSA publicly rejecting the appointment of its member, Xolani Khumalo, to the new executive.
The Mayor’s office released a statement on Thursday night announcing a shakeup that included the appointment of Khumalo as the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Services and By-Law Enforcement. However, just hours later, ActionSA released a scathing statement denying any involvement in the new coalition government.
Speaking on the matter, ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont expressed the party’s bewilderment at the announcement. He confirmed that while Mayor Xhakaza had been in discussions with the party, ActionSA had consistently made itself unavailable to serve in the current administration.
“Action SA is perplexed by this announcement. The mayor has been burning up the telephone calls to action SA leadership, trying to bring us into this coalition, but at all times we’ve indicated we’re not available,” Beaumont stated. He revealed that as late as Thursday night, the party made itself unavailable for a meeting with potential coalition partners, adding, “We don’t want to form part of what is clearly becoming a corrupt and failed government.”
Beaumont clarified that Khumalo was also aligned with the party’s decision. “The notion that Action SA and Xolani Khumalo, whose brand has been built from being outside of the system and fighting for ordinary South Africans, being co-opted into a government that represents so much of what’s wrong—ultimately we think would be a failure to the residents of Ekurhuleni.”
He described the mayor’s announcement as “unprecedented” and indicative of a chaotic administration. “It is a very strange situation, and it really points to a mayor and a government that is chaotic. It is unprecedented for a mayoral committee to be announced in a major city with political parties who aren’t even part of that government.”
In a strongly worded statement attributed to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, the party labeled the announcement from the mayor’s office as a “false statement” that “seems to be fabricated” and does not reflect any engagement with Action SA. The party reiterated that it would not “lend credibility to an administration that has overseen the lawless and deteriorating service delivery in the city.”
When approached for clarity on the political impasse, a municipal spokesperson, Phakamile Mbengashe, declined to comment on the political maneuverings, citing the Public Service Act. “Unfortunately, I can’t speak on political matters. I speak on behalf of the administration,” Mbengashe said. He confirmed that the executive mayor’s office had released a statement and that a swearing-in ceremony and press junket were scheduled for Friday morning, where the mayor is expected to provide more clarity.
Despite the political uncertainty, Mbengashe sought to reassure residents that municipal services would not be disrupted. “We have a robust constitution and part of that constitution there’s a principle of separation of powers. The administrative side must continue their work. Service delivery won’t stop. There won’t be any interruptions,” he assured.
Beaumont criticized the move as one that would lead to further instability for the metro. “It means more instability when you have a mayor who comes out and he announces a mayoral committee and includes in that mayoral committee political parties that have openly rejected his advances. It says that this is unstable. It says that it’s going to be chaotic.”
He further hinted that the debacle could trigger more withdrawals from the coalition, warning that serious questions must be asked about the mayor’s capacity to lead a complex city like Ekurhuleni. ActionSA maintains it will only consider joining a government if there are genuine discussions about reform and accountability regarding corruption.
“We can’t find ourselves co-opted into failure and corruption,” Beaumont concluded. “Action SA is not going to allow ourselves to become part of the problem.”
