The ANC-led coalition in Ekurhuleni has failed to present a budget that prioritises the interests of residents. As a result, ActionSA has, for the fourth time, rejected the proposed budget. ActionSA has consistently and in good faith communicated its position on the budget.
Given the coalition’s failure to incorporate these demands into the final budget, we cannot, in good conscience, support a budget that does not serve the people of Ekurhuleni.
We reiterate that for ActionSA to support this budget, two fundamental conditions must be met. First, we demand a budget that gives effect to Council’s resolution to insource workers and reduce reliance on contracted services. Second, there must be no increases to tariff categories, except for regulated adjustments such as the NERSA-approved 9.01% electricity tariff hike.
To the workers of Ekurhuleni: ActionSA acknowledges that this process has been frustrating. However, the fight for insourcing is a fight for the dignity and security of every worker exploited in the City of Ekurhuleni.
The principle of insourcing was resolved by Council as early as 2021. What remains outstanding is implementation. ActionSA remains committed to ensuring that resolution is realized for the benefit of all municipal workers.
We further remind workers that the 600 jobs announced by the Executive Mayor in 2025 were reduced by half during the 2026 Adjustment Budget. Let it be clear: should this budget fail to appropriate funds for insourcing, there will be no insourcing in the next financial year. ActionSA therefore demands that this budget contain a clear commitment to insource in the next financial year, with positions advertised as early as July 2026.
ActionSA remains ready to support a budget that balances the financial sustainability of the municipality with the realities faced by its residents. Until that balance is achieved, our position remains unchanged.
ActionSA Funzi Ngobeni (KZN Provincial Chairperson) Governance Expert: Served as the MMC for Finance in Johannesburg under Mashaba. The Mission: Tasked with growing ActionSA’s footprint in KwaZulu-Natal, a notoriously difficult and contested political landscape.
Capital F
Diary of an Englishman after he moves to South Africa….
**August 1**: Just got transferred with work from London, UK to our new home in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, South Africa. Now this is a town that knows how to live! Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings. I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday. It was beautiful. I’ve finally found my new home. I love it here.
**September 1:** Really heating up now. It got to 31 today. No problem though. Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I’m turning into a sun-worshipper – no blasted rain like back in London! Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and rocks. No more mowing lawns for me! Another scorcher today, but I love it here. It’s Paradise !
**October 1:** The temperature hasn’t been below 35 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least today it’s windy though. Keeps the flies off a bit. Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected. Fell asleep by the pool yesterday. Got third degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed three days off work. What a dumb thing to do. Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!
**October 25:** This wind is a bastard. It feels like a giant fucking blow dryer. And it’s hot as hell! The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged R200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from @#$# Johannesburg. The wife & the kids are complaining.
**October 30:** The temperature’s up around 40 and the parts still haven’t arrived for the fucking air conditioner. House is an oven so we’ve all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bleeding R4 million house and we can’t even go inside. Why the hell did I ever come here?
**November 4:** Finally got the fucking air-conditioner fixed. It cost R1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 35 degrees. Stupid repairman. Fucking thief. If one more smart bastard says ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to fucking throttle him. Fucking heat! By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fucking clothes are soaking fucking wet and I smell like baked cat. Fucking place is the end of the Earth.
**November 9:** Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car. I thought my fucking backside was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fucking behind. Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried bum and baked cat. The Weather report might as well be a fucking recording – hot and sunny. Hot and sunny, Hot and fucking sunny. It’s been too hot to do anything for 2 bleeding months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Fuck!!
**November 15:** Doesn’t it ever rain in this darn place? Water restrictions will be next, so my R5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fucking pool. The only things that thrive in this hell-hole are the fucking flies. You don’t dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little buzzards!
**November 20:** Welcome to HELL! It got to 45 degrees today. Now the air conditioner is gone in my car. The repair man came to fix it and said, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I wanted to shove the car up his backside. Anyway, had to spend the R2,500 of the mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid fool. Fucking PHALABORWA! What kind of sick, demented idiot would want to live here!
**December 1:** WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fucking kidding me, right?
Titanium Ladybug
Fun South African Fact: South Africa is home to the oldest meteor scar in the world – the Vredefort Dome in a town called Parys. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.