A dual resignation from both ANC regional secretary and finance MMC roles is throwing Ekurhuleni's already shaky coalition government into deeper turmoil.
Jongizizwe Dlabathi walks away from both posts
Jongizizwe Dlabathi walks away from both posts
- Jongizizwe Dlabathi quit as Ekurhuleni's finance MMC and ANC regional secretary simultaneously.
- His resignation letter cited irreconcilable differences with Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza.
- Dlabathi had publicly backed Xhakaza's moves just days before stepping down.
- His exit landed on 27 February, right in the thick of a leadership reshuffle.
- The mayor appointed three new mayoral committee members on Wednesday night.
- Dora Mlambo's shift from council speaker forced a planned meeting to get postponed.
- Nkgopotse Nsizwa Mekgwe grabbed human settlements, and Siyabonga Moloi got community safety.
- Xhakaza apparently made these calls without consulting regional ANC structures.
- Tuesday's reshuffle slashed EFF-held positions on the mayoral committee.
- That move cost the ANC-led coalition its working council majority.
- The EFF had already been simmering since Nkululeko Dunga got axed from the finance MMC in June 2024.
- Rumblings about a mayoral removal motion are getting louder.
- Dlabathi was supposed to table the city's massive budget within weeks.
- His departure leaves the entire budget process up in the air.
- Township and informal-settlement residents could feel the service delivery delays hardest.
- Housing, roads, and safety spending all hinge on that budget getting through.
- Internal ANC unease in Gauteng is growing over Xhakaza's unilateral decision-making style.
- The 2026 local elections make coalition stability a make-or-break issue.
- Dlabathi's flip from loyal defender to departing critic signals widening party fractures.
- Residents just want follow-through on jobs, infrastructure, and basic service promises.
