Gauteng COGTA MEC worried about 'political gimmicks, joking' in Ekurhuleni

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Mzi Khumalo has raised concerns over the so-called political gimmicks in the City of Ekurhuleni.

Khumalo says the city is fast becoming a candidate for dissolution, adding that it's concerning that smaller parties are at the heart of some of the conflict in Gauteng's municipalities.

On Thursday, the council in Ekurhuleni postponed a sitting after failing to elect a new mayor following the removal of Sivuyile Ngodwana.

Tensions between the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters who had been in a power-sharing deal have rocked the city for several months now - with the ANC calling on its national leadership to abandon the arrangement.

Khumalo says the provincial government is worried about happenings in Ekurhuleni.

"At the core of the work of any municipality is service delivery and the residents, but what we are seeing there is a lot of political joking, and political gimmicks, rather than focusing on matters of service delivery as such."