Tensions in Buffalo City Metro (BCM) have reached boiling point, with the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) warning the metro is on the brink of dysfunction unless urgent political and administrative interventions are implemented.
This follows a chaotic council meeting last week in which some ANC councillors attempted to unseat their own mayor, Princess Faku, without the blessing of the party’s provincial leadership.
A report by the ANC NEC’s local government intervention subcommittee, chaired by small business development minister Stella Ndabeni, has painted a bleak picture of the metro’s political and administrative health.
While the report was meant to be tabled at the ANC’s NEC meeting at the weekend, provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane insisted on Monday it had not been officially presented, and dismissed the leak to the Dispatch as mischievous.
He conceded, however, that President Cyril Ramaphosa had mentioned the issue in his closing address to the NEC.
The contents of the leaked report underscore the severity of the crisis.
It warns that “there is a looming risk that BCM could slip into dysfunction” if its service delivery failures, financial instability and internal political fractures are not addressed.
The Ndabeni-led subcommittee has in recent months visited several troubled municipalities in the province, including OR Tambo, Nelson Mandela Bay, Makana and King Sabata Dalindyebo and Buffalo City, where widening divisions within the ANC caucus and political leadership, particularly among the troika of Faku, council speaker Humphrey Maxegwana and chief whip Ntombizandile Mhlola have reportedly caused concern.
According to the report, the breakdown in trust and cohesion among the troika “is undermining governance stability and effective leadership” in BCM.
“The decision-making environment is fragile,” it says, “and service delivery deficiencies, particularly in water, sanitation, electricity, waste management and roads, continue to hamper the municipality’s ability to deliver for its residents.”
It calls for the urgent intervention of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, working alongside the provincial ANC, to stabilise both the council and the ANC caucus in BCM.
On Monday, Mhlola denied any dysfunction within the troika: “We do all that we are supposed to do as the troika.
“We never had a meeting that never sat because of any deadlock between us, but I cannot comment on an NEC report that I had not even seen.”
The report also highlights the unresolved case of the metro’s long-absent chief financial officer, Ntsikelelo Sigcau, as a contributing factor to instability. Sigcau has been off work since sustaining injuries in a 2022 car accident.
The city has spent millions accommodating his recovery, including home modifications and medical expenses.
Despite informing the city in 2024 that he was ready to return, Sigcau has had to await the outcome of a formal incapacity inquiry — scheduled for this week — to determine whether he can return to work.
In his absence, chief operations officer Vincent Pillay has acted as chief financial officer, but the national ANC says the unresolved status of Sigcau is jeopardising BCM’s financial stability.
The report also recommends an investigation into the appointment of a senior official to “verify her qualifications and competence”.
The subcommittee recommends that the metro develop and implement a comprehensive service improvement plan, addressing key infrastructure backlogs, and overhaul its fleet management system.
Among the issues raised were excessive spending on hired vehicles, lack of a digital fleet register, poor internal fleet availability and “suspected internal collusion with external syndicates”.
On Wednesday, co-operative governance deputy minister Dickson Masemola is expected to lead a national government delegation to BCM as part of ongoing support engagements with struggling municipalities.
His visit would focus on revitalising governance, accelerating service delivery and reinforcing accountability, department spokesperson Legadima Leso said.
However, DA councillor Anathi Majeke criticised the lack of communication following previous oversight visits.
“While these engagements are crucial, their effectiveness is completely undermined if findings and recommendations are not conveyed to council,” she said.
“This communication breakdown has resulted in a frustrating standstill.
“We’ve seen no observable changes or action plans despite the serious problems that were highlighted.
“The intended purpose of the visit — to drive improvement — has been rendered meaningless.”
An ANC PEC insider said: “There are a lot of serious challenges that need to be addressed in that municipality, both administratively and politically.
“While the centre is said to be not holding in that council, we have seen worse in other provincial councils.
“But I will agree with the NEC that a political intervention is critically needed there.
“If what is happening in that municipality is not arrested as in yesterday, we might face the prospect of losing yet another metropolitan municipality.
“BCM is one of the few in the country where the ANC is in total control and we govern without the help of other minority parties.”
“The intervention is needed, but it should not be done in a way that will further divide the organisation.”
An ANC council insider also warned that a full intervention could have unintended consequences.
“My understanding of political intervention, especially when glaring divisions are highlighted in the troika, means that the NEC might replace that entire political leadership and bring in new faces to lead our municipality,” the source said.
“If that happens, it will have serious implications, because even the current mayoral committee will have to be dissolved — something we cannot afford on the eve of the municipal elections.
“Yes, we do seriously need the intervention, but that move can also come with more devastating challenges for the city, as we would go to the elections divided as hell.
“The intervention is needed, but it should not be done in a way that will further divide the organisation.”
Among the administrative issues crippling BCM are persistent billing problems, collapsing infrastructure, a poor revenue collection rate and stalled or failed capital projects — including the Zwelitsha wastewater treatment plant, Water World Fun Park and the Mdantsane swimming pool upgrade.
Despite repeated attempts on Monday, neither Mbalula, Ndabeni nor ANC NEC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu could be reached for comment as the NEC meeting continued behind closed doors.
Daily Dispatch
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