Emfuleni Local Municipality's adjustment budget vote has come under fire, with the EFF alleging procedural irregularities and “ANC thuggery”.
Image: Simphiwe Mbokazi / Independent Newspapers
A political storm has erupted in the Emfuleni Local Municipality after the EFF rejected the outcome of the municipality’s adjustment budget vote, alleging procedural irregularities and “ANC thuggery”.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the EFF in Gauteng said it would challenge the adoption of the budget, arguing that the voting process was unlawful and lacked the required majority.
“The vote was conducted through a show of hands instead of a roll-call, and the Speaker falsely declared the budget as passed,” said Gauteng EFF chairperson Nkululeko Dunga.
The party claims the decision violates Section 160 of the Constitution and the Municipal Structures Act, which requires that council votes be properly recorded to ensure transparency and accountability.
“A roll-call vote is not a procedural luxury but the most credible and verifiable method of recording how each councillor votes,” the statement said.
At the centre of the dispute is whether the ANC and its coalition partners had enough votes to pass the budget.
According to the EFF, the council requires at least 46 votes to adopt the budget, but the ANC bloc did not meet that threshold.
“This made it mathematically impossible for the ANC to pass the budget without the support of opposition parties,” the statement read. “The Speaker’s reckless announcement is not only false, but patently illegal.”
The party has vowed to pursue legal and political avenues to overturn the outcome, warning against what it described as a pattern of governance failures.
“The EFF will never allow such brazen illegality to take root in our democratic institutions,” Dunga said.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of mounting frustration over service delivery in Emfuleni, where residents continue to face water shortages, unreliable electricity, poor road conditions, and inconsistent refuse collection.
The EFF said its rejection of the budget was based on “principled opposition to corruption, financial mismanagement, and collapsing service delivery”.
“The people of Emfuleni continue to suffer without reliable water and electricity, roads are riddled with potholes, refuse collection is inconsistent, and poverty is deepening. Yet, the ANC remains preoccupied with looting public resources and enriching itself at the expense of the poor,” the party said.
Separately, the DA has raised concerns over what it describes as excessive and unjustified municipal spending. DA Gauteng MPL and Emfuleni mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala said nearly R700 million has been spent on employee overtime, with little to show in terms of improved services.
“Despite this excessive spending, there is no visible improvement in service delivery across Emfuleni,” Chabalala said.
“If nearly R700 million is truly being spent on overtime, residents should be seeing cleaner streets, quicker repairs, and functioning infrastructure. Instead, conditions continue to deteriorate.”
He questioned whether the funds were being properly used.
“This raises serious concerns about where this money is actually going. Are employees genuinely working these hours, or is this another channel through which public funds are being misused?”
The DA said it would continue pressing for answers in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
“The people of Emfuleni deserve transparency. If such massive sums are being spent without improvement, something is clearly and deeply wrong,” Chabalala said.
The Emfuleni Local Municipality spokesperson, Mkhosonke Sangweni, refuted the claims and maintained that due processes were followed.
He said the special council sitting, convened to consider and approve the mid-term budget adjustments, marked the third attempt by the ELM Council to adopt the budget.
“The sitting concluded with the adoption of the Midterm Budget Adjustment with a majority decision by councillors. The decision is expected to strengthen financial accountability and sustainability for the remainder of the financial year, as it highlights the need to align the budget with actual revenue collections, revised expenditure priorities, and emerging service delivery requirements,” he said.
The Speaker of Council, Sibongile Soxuza, commended councillors for their robust deliberations and commitment to responsible financial governance.
“The adoption of this adjustment budget demonstrates our collective resolve to prioritise the needs of our communities. It allows us to respond effectively to changing circumstances and safeguard the long-term financial health of the municipality,” Soxuza said.
Sangweni added that the adjusted budget complies with the requirements of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), Section 28, and will now be submitted to relevant oversight bodies, including National and Provincial Treasury, as required.
“With all the commotion surrounding the adoption of the mid-term budget on various media platforms, the municipality would like to take this opportunity to call on political parties to accept constitutional democracy as it plays itself in our Council and country at large.
“Parties are strongly advised against using this process for partisan politics over the interest of the constituencies and service delivery. ELM remains committed to transparent, accountable, and inclusive budgeting processes that deliver tangible improvements in the quality of life for all residents,” he said.