Sipho Radebe. (Photo: Facebook)
The DA in Emfuleni (Vanderbijlpark), says the removal of the executive mayor, Sipho Radebe, was not done by the ANC because residents were suffering from poor service delivery, but because the party recently lost a ward to the DA.
Radebe was removed as executive mayor of the Emfuleni local municipality after the DA won ward 28 in a by-election last week.
Duncan Mthembu, DA caucus leader in Emfuleni, says the ANC only took action against Radebe after the party’s support in the ward was damaged.
“Let’s be clear: Radebe was not removed because of service delivery failures. He was removed because the ANC lost a ward to the DA. Power is more important to the ANC than people,” says Mthembu.
According to the DA, the victory in ward 28 is an indication that residents are tired of empty promises and have lost confidence in the ANC-controlled municipality.
Mthembu says residents of Emfuleni are fed up with a municipality which he says has become “the epitome of corruption and poor service delivery”.
“Emfuleni has become a place where raw sewage flows into people’s homes, where crime has found a home and where illegal dumping sites have become the norm.”
The DA already submitted a motion of no confidence against Radebe in 2024 due to poor political leadership and the continued collapse of basic services.
“The ANC defended him at the time and said he was the right person for the job. The reasons the ANC is now citing for Radebe’s removal are the same reasons the DA cited at the time in our motion of no confidence.”
Mthembu says the DA welcomes Radebe’s removal, but also calls on ANC councilors who have protected him over the years to resign.
According to him, the ANC will not be able to straighten out Emfuleni if Radebe is simply replaced by another ANC councillor.
“None of the ANC councilors have shown that they can turn the municipality around. On the contrary, they have gone out of their way to protect a failed mayor.”
Mthembu says Emfuleni needs new leadership and that the DA’s victory in ward 28 is the beginning of further support in the area.
“Residents gave us a mandate in our first by-election victory in a township. The rest will follow.”