Members of the Tshwane Metro Council shortly before Thursday’s council meeting. (Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)
Dr. Nasiphi Moya, the mayor of Tshwane, says she and her coalition government want to reduce the metro’s dependence on contracting services.
“The Tshwane metro is going to cut its contracted services. We do not see value for money,” Moya announced at an early morning media conference on Thursday shortly before a council meeting.
Thursday’s council meeting is the first council meeting in Tshwane since serious allegations of widespread tender fraud in the metro were made before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The commission’s investigation into Tshwane focuses particularly on contracted security services and water tankers.
According to Moya, money currently earmarked for contracted services in the metro’s draft budget for the next financial year will be redirected to the metro’s capital budget and building internal capacity.
Mayor Nasiphi Moya and her deputy mayor, Eugene Modise. (Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)
“The capital budget is now set at R2.8 billion – an increase of 14.2% compared to the previous financial year.
“We have taken the decision to increase the capital budget in the next financial year to R3.5 billion. This represents a year-on-year increase of R700 million (25%) without loans,” Moya said on Thursday morning.
“We must make sure that spending on contracted services is reduced,” she emphasized.
“We propose in the draft budget that water tankers be reduced by 79%. We want to reduce the city’s dependence on water tankers,” said Moya, proudly pointing out that the metro is already investing in its own fleet of water tankers.
“We now have 40 tankers ready to distribute water,” said Moya.
Moya’s government proposes that R126.7 million be budgeted for contracted water tankers in the draft budget. “This will be spent exclusively for emergency services when Tshwane’s own water tankers are not sufficient,” she explained.
Around R130.5 million will then be invested in the acquisition of the metro’s own fleet – water tankers and garbage disposal vans.
Archive photo for illustration purposes only. (Photo: X/City of Tshwane)
The current coalition government also wants to spend less on outsourced security services.
“So far we have reduced the budget for security-related contracted services by 17%. We are going to reduce it further. We are not going to do business with the security services that are so well known at the Madlanga Commission.”
“We are not reducing for the sake of reducing. The funds previously allocated to outsourcing services will be redirected to build internal capacity,” Moya insisted.
However, Moya was peppered at the media conference with questions as to why she is not taking action against Eugene Modise, her deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for finance.
Maroela Media reported earlier that an investigation report confirmed that Modise illegally benefited from a security contract that the municipality entered into with a company called Triotic Protection Services and has since renewed.
Eugene Modise was in good spirits before the council meeting on Thursday. (Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)
Metro’s problems ‘inherited’
Moya said at the media conference that the testimony before the Madlanga Commission did not exactly come as a shock.
“We are not dealing with a sudden crisis,” believes Moya.
“When we took over, we found a city in serious trouble. The problems were neither isolated nor accidental. They were the result of years of poor controls, poor financial discipline, rising debt and a culture in which there were too few consequences for failure and transgression.
“This is the result of the same pattern of institutional weaknesses that we identified when we took over.”
According to Moya, numerous investigations have been carried out since then.
“Long after the public was made aware, we have already begun to address the underlying government failures. In the 2024-2025 financial year alone, 146 investigations were completed into allegations of fraud, misuse of public funds and corruption.”
However, Moya insists her coalition government is not to blame.
“We state categorically that these problems are inherited. But ignoring them was never an option for this multi-party coalition government. We have worked tirelessly to restore control and strengthen oversight.”
Mayor Nasiphi Moya and her deputy mayor, Eugene Modise. (Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)