Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya ought to have used her State of the City Address to acknowledge recent revelations of systemic corruption in Tshwane linked to the water tanker mafia.
She ought to have spoken to the anger of the people of Hammanskraal – a community that Moya has ignored since being installed in her position by an ANC-led coalition.
Instead, Moya boldly declared that Tshwane has no water crisis. Yet under her watch water losses increased to 41%, leading to more water outages and the worsening of water outages in communities across the City.
Moya seems unable to make the connection between dry taps and her government’s decision to increase water tanker spending from R140 million in 2024 to R777 million in 2025. This is money that could have been spent on infrastructure upgrades that give people water in their taps.
Several ANC politicians benefit from the R777 million water tanker bonanza. This includes:
- ANC Tshwane Region Treasurer, James Shelenge; and
- ANC Deputy Mayor, Eugene Modise.
The same Eugene Modise, also the City’s MMC for Finance, has been implicated in a forensic report for benefitting unlawfully from a contract between a security company, Triotic Protection Services and the municipality.
Mayor Moya has not only kept him in his position as MMC for Finance, she perversely credited Modise in her State of the City Address for the financial performance of the City. That performance has been dismal.
Since 2024 revenue collection in Tshwane has dropped from 93% of billings to 83%. The Tshwane ya Tima campaign has been ineffective at redressing the situation.
Moya’s assumption that Tshwane has a funded budget is based on a 93% revenue collection goal, which has not been reached, and income from a City Cleansing Levy which has been set aside by a court of law.
The project to get clean water to the taps of Hammanskraal residents has stalled, in all probability because ANC leaders in Moya’s coalition would lose money if residents have clean water in their taps.
Not only did Moya fail to acknowledge the anger of Hammanskraal residents, she has not taken the people of Tshwane into her confidence about what it will take to finish the Hammanskraal clean water project.
Due to the defunding of infrastructure, repairs and maintenance, power outages in Tshwane are now at load-shedding levels.
The supply of electricity to industrial hubs like Silverton and Waltloo have had a devastating impact on local businesses.
The truth is that Nasiphi Moya and ActionSA handed over the nation’s capital to the water tanker mafia, and all of her budget and executive decisions have flowed from this.
There was one telling moment in Moya’s speech. She spoke about shutting down brothels, and the importance of law enforcement. Yet she herself leads a lawless government. She has failed to provide the example of leadership required by the Mayor of a Capital City.
Her second State of the City Address should be her last.