The ANC has recalled Emfuleni Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe with immediate effect, citing persistent service delivery failures, deteriorating municipal conditions, and a lack of political leadership in one of Gauteng's most troubled municipalities.
The dramatic move, announced by ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula on Friday, marks a major political setback for Radebe and comes as residents continue to grapple with collapsing infrastructure, mounting municipal debt, sewage spills, water challenges, and growing frustration over basic services.
The ANC said its decision followed an assessment by provincial and regional leadership, which found that the municipality had failed to adequately prioritise issues affecting residents' daily lives, including road maintenance, refuse removal, water provision and environmental management.
"The African National Congress does not deploy public representatives to occupy office; we deploy them to serve. Where the service falters, the movement must act for the people. Today we have acted for the people of Emfuleni," said Mbalula.
The party said Emfuleni's challenges could no longer be ignored, particularly as the municipality remains under provincial intervention and continues to battle severe financial distress.
The municipality owes Eskom about R7.1 billion and faces escalating debt to Rand Water and has repeatedly received qualified audit outcomes from the auditor-general.
Mbalula said ANC deployees are bound by a commitment to serve communities and can be removed when those obligations are not met.
"That pledge is not ceremonial; it is a contract with the residents of every street, every township and every ward. When the roads go unrepaired, when the refuse goes uncollected, when people struggle with water or a library, when the National Treasury is unhappy with the affairs of the municipality - the pledge has been broken — and the Movement reads that breach plainly," he said.
The recall triggered an immediate response from the Democratic Alliance, which welcomed Radebe's removal but argued that the ANC was acting only after voters delivered a strong message at the ballot box.
DA Emfuleni caucus leader Duncan Mthembu said the party was convinced the ANC moved against Radebe after losing Ward 28 to the DA earlier this week.
"The DA victory at Ward 28 is an indication that residents are tired of empty promises and have lost confidence in the ANC government in Emfuleni," said Mthembu.
He argued that removing Radebe alone would not resolve the municipality's deep-rooted problems.
"Removing Mayor Radebe will not fix Emfuleni if he is simply replaced by another ANC councilor. None of the ANC councilors have shown the knowledge, skills, or experience needed to turn this municipality around."
The ANC, however, insisted the recall forms part of its broader programme to restore local government performance ahead of next year's municipal elections.
"In this Year of Decisive Action there can be no strategic municipality left to drift, and no mayor placed above the people he was sent to serve. The African National Congress is at work — and the people of Emfuleni will feel that work in the condition of their roads, the cleanliness of their streets and the dignity of their daily lives," Mbalula said.
The announcement comes months after Radebe publicly defended his leadership and rejected suggestions that Emfuleni's problems were the result of his administration.
Previously, The Star reported that Radebe had appealed directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa to authorise a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into allegations of corruption, unlawful electricity disconnections, inaccurate billing, bribery, and extortion involving municipal officials.
At the time, Radebe warned that complaints from residents pointed to potentially wider patterns of corruption across several municipal departments and argued that the municipality lacked the resources to fully investigate the allegations on its own.
"The SIU’s legal mandate and forensic expertise are indispensable to ensuring a credible, thorough, and conclusive investigation that restores public trust and integrity in local governance," Radebe wrote in his appeal to the president.
He also pledged to institute forensic investigations into key service delivery departments and said restoring public confidence remained a priority.
The Star