Sipho Radebe has resigned as executive mayor of the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

• Emfuleni mayor Sipho Radebe has stepped down following intervention talks with the ANC’s Gauteng leadership.
• The ANC says urgent action is needed to restore service delivery and public confidence in the struggling Emfuleni municipality.
• Radebe’s resignation comes days after the ANC lost Ward 28 in Emfuleni to the DA in a key by-election defeat.

Emfuleni mayor Sipho Radebe has stepped down. ANC Gauteng Provincial Task Team coordinator Sochayile Khanyile confirmed this through a statement on Friday.

According to the statement, Radebe was asked to step down following a meeting with the Gauteng ANC leadership.

This comes a day after the ANC lost ward 28 in Emfuleni to the DA in a by-election this week.

Radebe has been the mayor of the Emfuleni Local Municipality since November 2021.

The ANC recently announced it would “intervene” in some municipalities as it concludes its lists ahead of the local government elections in November.

It’s unclear who will lead the governing coalition in Emfuleni.

READ | Unprecedented victory: DA secures historic black ward win, signalling Gauteng shift

The ANC, EFF, PAC, FF+, Community Solidarity Association (CSA), and the Vaal Civic Movement (VAAL) co-govern the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

Khanyile said: “Mr Radebe has accepted the decision to strengthen the Mayoral Committee by stepping down. The ANC wishes to thank Cde Sipho Radebe for his service and contribution to the people of Emfuleni. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Khanyile added that Gauteng ANC officials had met with Radebe to hash out several issues in the municipality.

“This meeting followed a series of engagements between Cde Radebe, the ANC leadership in Sedibeng, and the Gauteng provincial leadership on how best to refocus the municipality to improve service delivery and better serve the people of Emfuleni,” Khanyile said.

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He then quoted the ANC’s 2026 slogan, unveiled at the January 8 celebrations in North West, which states that 2026 is “the year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy”.

“This resolution places an obligation on all ANC-led municipalities to improve the delivery of basic services, including water, electricity, sanitation, and refuse removal, while addressing the financial and governance challenges facing local government.

Sochayile said:

He said that as part of this process, Gauteng ANC officials had also met with the SACP.

“The provincial leadership of the SACP welcomed the finalisation of this process and the way the ANC has handled the matter.

“The SACP expressed its support for efforts to stabilise and strengthen governance in Emfuleni. The SACP in Gauteng stated that it will not allow disgruntled or opportunistic elements to use its principled decision to contest local government elections to divide or undermine the unity of the alliance,” Khanyile said.

The SACP and the ANC are embroiled in a stand-off after the SACP announced it would contest the upcoming elections independently of the ANC. The ANC has asked those who hold dual membership to state in writing which party they would vote for.

READ | Voting in the shadow of a dump: Emfuleni by-election a referendum on municipal collapse

In a series of reports, News24 has exposed the deepening decay in Emfuleni. In its latest investigation, the publication revealed that the municipality is facing scrutiny over allegedly spending R112 million on refuse collection over five years, despite residents claiming they have not seen a waste truck in years as streets deteriorate into hazardous, rodent-infested dumping sites.