GAUTENG – As voters prepare to head to the polls in the 2026 Local Government Elections, coalition governments remain a central issue shaping the political landscape in Gauteng. In Ekurhuleni, a highly contested metro with 224 municipal seats, the legacy of coalition politics has profoundly influenced governance, service delivery, and political stability in recent years.
The current political term in Ekurhuleni began with the Democratic Alliance (DA) leading a minority coalition government. This administration was initially able to secure a governing majority with the support of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ActionSA, and other political parties. However, this political alliance proved short-lived and highly volatile.
The instability culminated in a no-confidence motion against then-Mayor Tania Campbell, who was removed from office before subsequently being reinstated. The core of the friction stemmed from the inability of the EFF and the African National Congress (ANC) to reach an agreement on municipal leadership. Consequently, Sivuyile Ngodwana of the African Independent Congress (AIC) assumed the mayoral role. This trend of minority parties assuming mayoral responsibilities due to major-party deadlocks was also observed in the City of Johannesburg during the same period.
The leadership stalemate was eventually addressed following an ANC summit, which passed a resolution stipulating that the party holding the most seats and wards must be granted the first opportunity to field its mayoral candidates. This directive facilitated a political shift, resulting in the election of ANC mayoral candidates in both Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.
Prolonged council instability has directly impacted residents, with municipal service delivery bearing the brunt of the political friction. Notable governance failures emerged during this period, most prominently involving Julius Mkhwanazi, who served as the acting deputy chief of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD). Mkhwanazi and associated officials drafted a memorandum of understanding that improperly resulted in a private businessman’s vehicles being fitted with official blue emergency lights.
These governance failures have been extensively scrutinized and ventilated at the Madlanga Commission. Following formal disciplinary processes, several officials faced administrative consequences, including the dismissal of Julius Mkhwanazi from his position as EMPD deputy chief in Ekurhuleni.
As the transition of power approaches, the ANC and the outgoing administration have characterized the period under DA and Sivuyile Ngodwana’s leadership as the “barren years,” citing a significant and measurable decline in both governance standards and essential service delivery. Voters will now decide whether the upcoming electoral outcome will bring renewed stability to the metro.
