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Coalition stabilises in Tshwane, political games continue in Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Mangaung

Defenders of the People (DOP) joined the multi-party coalition in Tshwane. The one DOP councillor replaced the COPE councillor who left the coalition. In Ekurhuleni, the ANC and EFF’s disagreements threatened to sink the coalition led by the two parties. The ANC alleged that there was a financial crisis in the metro, a view supported by ActionSA who accused both the ANC and EFF of contributing to Ekurhuleni’s financial mismanagement.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, the mayor and the city manager continued trading blows. Mayor Gary van Niekerk laid fraud and corruption charges against city manager Noxolo Nqwazi. van Niekerk faced his own challenges when his party removed him as councillor, although he was later reinstated after a High Court application.

In Mangaung the ANC’s Gregory Nthatisi was elected mayor although former mayor Pappie Mokoena claimed that he was still the legitimate mayor after being removed in April.

Johannesburg, Cape Town struggle to respond to fires

The provincial government announced a commission of inquiry into the Marshalltown, Johannesburg fire that killed at least 77 people. The commission had been delayed by three weeks. 

In the same week, the council confirmed that the refurbishment of the Johannesburg Metro Building had experienced further delays and there was no idea of projected costs. The building also suffered from a fire in September and another one earlier in March, after the council had been aware of fire risks since at least 2019. The metro has had a severe shortage of fire trucks since at least 2015.

In Khayelitsha, Cape Town, shack dwellers were left homeless after a fire destroyed over 100 homes. The fire was brought under control after six hours.

Water delivery problems continue to stalk most of the metros

In Johannesburg, budget constraints limited the metro’s ability to address water infrastructure backlogs. ActionSA accused the council of a lack of political will to address the problem, hinting also at corruption in Joburg Water, while water minister Senzo Mchunu warned Gauteng residents to save water or face heavy restrictions.

Residents in Tshwane had been without a reliable water supply for almost three months, due in part to strike action which delayed response times. A metro spokesperson warned that Tshwane could be without water for even longer periods as reservoir levels continued to drop.

In Ekurhuleni, the new MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy had a difficult start to her term as the metro had struggled with months-long water and power outages in Germiston and water leaks in Bedfordview. In Liefeldt, Buffalo City, the metro announced plans to fix water infrastructure that has resulted in an erratic supply for over a year.