The City of Ekurhuleni’s political and governance crisis has deepened after the municipality’s proposed 2026/27 budget failed to secure council approval for a fourth time, prompting renewed criticism from opposition parties and raising concerns about the metro’s ability to meet statutory deadlines. The latest rejection places the ANC-led coalition under mounting pressure to secure support for a lawful budget before the end of June, failing which the city could face provincial intervention in terms of Section 139(4) of the Constitution.…

ActionSA has dismissed allegations of internal tensions involving its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo and his wife, Bokani Moyo, describing the claims as unverified, speculative and factually incorrect. The allegations, obtained by African Times from multiple sources, suggest that divisions have emerged within the party over Khumalo’s public image and campaign branding ahead of the upcoming local government elections. However, no documentary evidence had been provided to African Times confirming claims that Moyo had been removed as campaign manager or…

ActionSA has called for a criminal investigation into the controversial repair project at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, following a scathing report by the Public Protector that uncovered alleged maladministration, financial irregularities and project management failures linked to the hospital’s reconstruction after the devastating 2021 fire. On Monday, ActionSA Member of Parliament Dr Kgosi Letlape confirmed the party would formally request the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, to launch an inquiry into the conduct of…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has formally written to Parliament demanding the immediate establishment of an impeachment committee against President Cyril Ramaphosa following Friday’s landmark Constitutional Court ruling on the Phala Phala scandal. In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, EFF National Chairperson and Parliamentary Chief Whip Nontando Nolutshungu called on Parliament to urgently implement the apex court’s judgment, which declared Parliament’s 2022 decision to block the impeachment process unconstitutional and invalid. “We write to you…

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is expected to hand-deliver a memorandum to Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia on Tuesday, calling for immediate national intervention in the disappearance of 27-year-old Mazwi Mpumelelo Kubheka and escalating safety concerns in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni. Kubheka, a local spaza shop owner, was reported missing on 2 April after leaving his home to deposit money at a bank. He was last seen in Marimba Gardens and has not been found. Nearly a month later, no arrests have been…

ActionSA has formally approached the Public Protector, calling for the reopening of the Phala Phala investigation following new revelations contained in the recently unsealed report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). On Thursday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the initial investigation was too narrow and failed to fully interrogate the potential involvement of officials within the Presidency in what the party describes as a possible cover up of the 2020 robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm. The…

A political storm is brewing after ActionSA revealed it has finally obtained a long-withheld report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) into the controversial Phala Phala scandal, and claims damning findings against members of the Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) were ignored for nearly two years. In a statement released on Friday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party had spent over a year fighting to access the report, which was completed in October 2023 but allegedly kept out…

ActionSA has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to immediately dismiss Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe, accusing her of misleading Parliament over controversial luxury vehicles allegedly received from Chinese officials. In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James said the minister had “blatantly misrepresented facts” and attempted to conceal the true nature of the vehicles, which were reportedly intended for the benefit of her daughters. The call follows revelations contained in a media investigation which…

The political storm in the City of Ekurhuleni deepened on Wednesday after ActionSA rejected claims that one of its senior leaders, Cllr Xolani Khumalo, had been appointed to the Mayoral Committee by Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza. The party has described as “entirely fabricated” a media statement circulating after Tuesday night’s dramatic reshuffle, which listed Khumalo as the new MMC for Community Services and By-Law Enforcement. The reshuffle, announced just before midnight, saw Mayor Xhakaza unveil what he termed “strategic changes”…

Gauteng police have launched a murder investigation following a shooting incident in Linden, Windsor East, on Sunday, amid conflicting accounts about the circumstances that led to the death of a man allegedly linked to drug trafficking. According to Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, Public Order Police were dispatched to the area on Sunday, 8 February 2026, to restore calm after tensions escalated following reports of gunfire. “Preliminary investigation showed that there was a production company filming in the area…