ActionSA has thrown its weight behind Ekurhuleni Mayor Doctor Xhakaza’s decision to fire EFF finance MMC Nkululeko Dunga, saying it welcomed the news.
The party urged Xhakaza to remove the remaining EFF MMCs from their important service delivery portfolios as soon as possible to foster service delivery.
Xhakaza said: “After careful consideration and in light of unforeseen misalignments, I have decided to remove Dunga from his position as MMC for Finance. This decision is aimed at ensuring that we can effectively fast-track the completion and approval of the annual budget, a critical task for the continued development and growth of our city. Furthermore, there is a critical need to urgently turn around the concerning financial position of the City.”
Xhakaza said they appreciated Dunga’s contributions and wished him well in his future endeavours.
“In the interim, I have assigned MMC for City Planning and Economic Development Nomadlozi Nkosi to oversee the Finance portfolio. She is currently the chairperson of both the Governance and Economic Mayoral Cluster and the Budget Steering Committee.
“I will in due course, after the necessary consultations, appoint a replacement in the role of MMC for Finance,” said Xhakaza.
ActionSA said from the start that the inclusion of the EFF in the mayoral committee had hampered service delivery, delivered the first negative audit outcome in years, and slowed down progress towards insourcing.
ActionSA caucus leader Andrew Harris said: “Dunga, who is also the EFF provincial chairperson, garnered several controversies during his tenure. His term will be remembered for the controversial R2 billion security guard tender, the infamous ‘blue light crash’ in which a resident died, the Auditor General releasing a negative audit with serious findings against his department, and recently his inability to get the budget passed in council.”
Harris said Xhakaza should never have brought Dunga back into the mayoral committee at all after the removal of mayor Ngodwana. “The ANC cannot distance itself from Dunga’s disastrous term in office, and it is clear that Panyaza Lesufi’s meddling in local politics in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni is finally beginning to take its toll with Xhakaza clearly acting alone.
“We support Xhakaza’s defiance of Lesufi and encourage him to get the budget approved tomorrow and take heed of our recommendations. It is important that party politics be put aside, as the City remains at risk of being placed under administration should the budget not be passed by the end of June. ActionSA will remain a constructive opposition in Ekurhuleni,” Harris said.
Dunga was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of going to print.
The Star