The ANC in Sedibeng appears to be facing significant political turmoil.

According to Sedibeng Ster, this comes after a week of drama that saw both the party’s regional secretary, Jason Mkhwane, being referred to the ANC’s National Disciplinary Committee and Emfuleni Mayor Sipho Radebe being removed from office.

Radebe’s axing comes after the ANC’s Provincial Task Team visited the embattled municipality’s headquarters in Vanderbijlpark yesterday (May 29), during which provincial leaders held a closed-door meeting with local ANC structures and alliance partners.

Following the meeting, the ANC released a statement confirming that Radebe would step down as the first citizen of Emfuleni.

Radebe has been in the news recently for writing a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting a Special Investigating Unit investigation into the affairs of the troubled municipality.

The letter, which was also copied to the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), the Gauteng premier and provincial CoGTA officials, addressed concerns about the worsening state of governance in the embattled municipality.

Radebe’s intervention followed complaints from residents in Roshnee who alleged unlawful electricity disconnections, inaccurate billing, and incidents of bribery and extortion involving municipal officials.

ANC’s statement

According to the ANC, the decision to remove Radebe followed a series of engagements between him, the Sedibeng regional leadership and the Gauteng provincial leadership on the future of the municipality.

“The provincial officials of the ANC in Gauteng held a meeting with Radebe. This meeting followed a series of engagements between Radebe, the ANC leadership in Sedibeng, and the Gauteng provincial leadership on how best to refocus the municipality to improve service delivery and better serve the people of Emfuleni,” read the statement.

The party said its decision was guided by its commitment to making 2026 the ‘year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy’.

The ANC acknowledged that urgent intervention was needed to address persistent challenges in service delivery, financial management and governance.

“Following these engagements, there is a shared understanding that urgent intervention is required to reset the municipality, consolidate its efforts to serve the people of Emfuleni, and restore their confidence in local governance,” the statement continued.

The ANC said it also consulted the Gauteng SACP, which expressed support for the process and efforts aimed at stabilising governance in Emfuleni.

The statement added that Radebe had accepted the decision.

Opposition reaction

In another article, Sedibeng Ster reports that Mayibuye national organiser Patrick Sindane said Radebe’s resignation would not solve Emfuleni’s problems.

“Replacing one ANC leader with another ANC leader will not fix a municipality that has been systematically destroyed over many years. The crisis in Emfuleni is political in nature and requires a political solution.”

He added: “The residents of Emfuleni are once again presented with an opportunity to correct a mistake that has been repeated election after election: Voting for the ANC as though it were a religious obligation rather than a political choice based on performance, accountability and results.”

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