The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni will today re-submit an urgent motion to the Speaker of Council, to place embattled City Manager, Kagiso Lerutla, on precautionary suspension.
Additionally, the Speaker must convene an urgent council meeting for this motion to be considered.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Xhakaza had the opportunity in the last council meeting to act in the best interests of the City, and suspend Lerutla, he did not. Instead of choosing accountability, he feigned confusion, and asked that he be allowed to seek a legal opinion, despite having had several weeks at his disposal to do so.
This is a slap in the face of residents of Ekurhuleni, who deserve a government that holds its officials to the highest possible standards.
The DA will not watch as someone accused of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice is allowed to come back to work in the top echelons of the City’s administration.
We demand that the Speaker takes the allegations against Lerutla seriously. They cannot continue to aid and abet Xhakaza and the ANC in their attempts to shield officials from accountability.
The days of corrupt officials colluding with corrupt politicians to fulfill their corrupt desires must come to an end.
The City of Ekurhuleni is not for sale. All public funds and resources must be used to deliver better basic services, fix roads, keep lights on, clean up communities, and provide water and dignified sanitation 24/7.
In the upcoming Local Government Election in November 2026, voters will be faced with a choice, we can have more of the same or we can have a DA-led government that Gets Ekurhuleni Working for all.