ActionSA's Ekurhuleni Mayoral Candidate, Cllr Xolani Khumalo, has declared that his party will continue to withhold support for the Ekurhuleni Government of Local Unity (GLU) budget. This stance comes as the administration prepares to table the same budget proposal for a third time this Thursday, following two previous failed attempts.
Concerns over economic priorities and service delivery
ActionSA argues that the budget in its current form is detrimental to both residents and workers, failing to address the deepening local economic crisis and the rising cost of living. A central pillar of the party's opposition is the administration's alleged reliance on contracted services at the expense of developing internal capacity. The party contends that the budget prioritises tender-driven expenditures over sustainable, long-term service delivery.
The broken promise of insourcing
A significant point of contention raised by Khumalo is the status of municipal insourcing. He recalled the 2025 State of the City Address, during which Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza promised the creation of hundreds of security, cleaning, and supervisory roles. According to ActionSA, these positions failed to materialise as promised.
Furthermore, the party asserts that during the adjustment budget, the administration slashed these insourcing provisions by 50 percent, reducing 600 projected jobs to just 300. Khumalo accused the GLU of doubling down on failure by inflating the budget for contracted services to R7.9 billion.
Opposition to electricity tariff hikes
Additionally, ActionSA is sharply critical of the proposed electricity tariff increases. The party highlights that the current proposal includes hikes of 15.54 percent and 18.44 percent, which they characterised as a direct financial assault on already struggling households. ActionSA further alleges that the municipality is hiking these rates at nearly double the level approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).
The conditions for support
Khumalo stated that while ActionSA remains open to supporting the budget, their backing is strictly contingent upon meeting two core demands: the implementation of genuine insourcing and providing tangible tariff relief for residents. The party has adopted a firm position that they will not vote for the budget unless these conditions are met, framing their refusal as a necessary step to protect the interests of the Ekurhuleni community. They are calling for all electricity tariff increases to be capped at 9.01 percent across all categories.