The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Emfuleni welcomes the removal of Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe and goes one step further to call on the resignation of all the ANC councillors who protected Radebe over the years.
English soundbite by Cllr Duncan Mthembu
We know the ANC only acted against Radebe after losing Ward 28 to the DA last week.
The DA victory in Ward 28 is an indication that residents are tired of empty promises and have lost confidence in the ANC government in Emfuleni.
Emfuleni residents are tired of living in a municipality that is the epitome of corruption and poor service delivery. Emfuleni has become a place where raw sewage runs inside people’s houses, where crime has found a home, a place where illegal dumping sites have become the norm.
It is no surprise to hear the ANC saying the mayor resigned because of service delivery failures. The DA has, however, been raising the same concerns for years. In 2023 we brought a Motion of No Confidence (MoNC) against Mayor Radebe because of poor political leadership and the ongoing collapse of basic services. At the time the ANC defended him and said he was the right person for the job.
The ANC’s reasons for Radebe’s removal are the same reasons the DA submitted in our MoNC.
But let us be clear: Radebe was not removed for service delivery failures. He was removed for losing a ward to the DA. Power matters more to the ANC, than people do.
The ANC will not fix Emfuleni, especially if he is simply replaced by another ANC councillor. None of the ANC councillors have shown that they are able to turn the municipality around. Quite the contrary, they went out of their way to protect an abject failure of a mayor.
Emfuleni needs new leadership and it is only under a DA-led government, that Emfuleni will work for all.
Residents have given us a mandate in our first township by-election victory. The rest will follow.