Johannesburg – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says it “completely and vehemently rejects the unilateral decision” to reconfigure the Ekurhuleni Mayoral Committee and has refused to be part of it.
In a strongly worded statement made available to The Bulrushes on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, the EFF described African National Congress (ANC) Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza as “incompetent and politically immature”.
The EFF stated that it was “crystal clear” that these changes were not made in the best interests of the people of Ekurhuleni, but rather to satisfy selfish political interests and to boost fragile egos within the ANC.
“Mayor Xhakaza has taken the senseless decision to remove MMC Bridget Thusi from Community Services and MMC Kgopelo Hollo from Human Settlements,” the statement said.
“He has further stripped the Water and Sanitation functions from MMC Thembi Msane and reassigned her to Infrastructure and Economic Development.
The Water and Sanitation portfolio has now been placed under a newly created Metro Utilities (Trading Services) portfolio, led by an ANC councillor.
“This move is clearly intended to undermine the significant progress made by the EFF in maintaining and improving water services in the municipality,” the statement continued.
“MMC Leshaka Manamela has also been shifted from Environment and Waste Management to Human Settlements.
“This is yet another irrational decision, particularly considering that under MMC Manamela’s leadership, the Waste Management Department improved significantly, while the Human Settlements Department was thriving under MMC Hollo.”
The EFF complained that the newly configured Ekurhuleni Mayoral Committee would remain with only two portfolios and with a seriously eroded mandate.
“This is despite the fact that our MMCs have consistently ranked among the highest performers in the Mayoral Committee in terms of service delivery,” said the EFF.
“The ANC and Mayor Xhakaza are hellbent on demonstrating that selfish political manoeuvring and internal factional battles are more important to them than the interests of the people of Ekurhuleni.
“This pattern is not new. It has been consistent since the removal of Commissar Nkululeko Dunga as MMC for Finance in 2024, immediately after he had turned that department around and stabilised its operations.“
The EFF stated that it was also important to contextualise this behaviour within the contents of the letter written by the ANC in Ekurhuleni to the party’s Secretary-General.
“They explicitly stated that the continued presence of EFF MMCs, their work ethic, and their quality of performance posed a threat to the ANC’s support base in Ekurhuleni and had to be neutralised with urgency,” the statement asserted.
“This confirms that the systematic removal of the EFF from government in the City of Ekurhuleni is not based on performance failures, but precisely on our effective performance, which the ANC perceives as a political threat.
“The EFF therefore informs the people of Ekurhuleni and Gauteng that we have declined the offer to continue forming part of the Mayoral Committee in the City of Ekurhuleni.
“We will instead take up our role in the opposition benches with discipline and determination, continuing to hold the executive accountable.
“’We commend our former MMCs for the outstanding work they have done in serving the people of Ekurhuleni with integrity and dedication.”
