R562,000 spent on marketing which did not produce any meaningful public advertisements

Mark Surgeon, Freedom Front Plus councillor in the Tshwane Metro Council, raised questions about R562,000 spent on a marketing campaign.

This marketing campaign, awarded to Roadshow Marketing, aimed to promote the 2026 State of the City Address (SOCA).

Several procurement items in the Tshwane Metro’s 2025/26 annual report relating to the 2026 State of the City Address (SOCA) warrant closer public inspection.

“It is difficult to reconcile a promotion campaign costing R562,000 with the near absence of any meaningful public advertisements of the SOCA,” Surgeon said.

“A review of online platforms and social media found little evidence of a campaign justifying the expenditure.”

He added that Roadshow Marketing was also appointed to supply promotional material valued at R587,000 to the Office of the Chief Whip.

The same company received a contract for R360,000 to provide goods to the City of Tshwane.

“To date, no satisfactory explanation of what these goods are and what they are needed for has been provided,” Surgeon said

Another company, Rapole Holdings, secured additional contracts worth R1 million to supply promotional material, audiovisual services, and bottled water to the metro.

“Public procurement records indicate that Rapole Holdings was awarded contracts covering a remarkably wide range of government services, from delivering groceries to supplying ammunition,” he said.

“This company’s director is Dikeledi Nonyane. This raises the question of whether the same person was appointed deputy director in the Office of the Mayor,” he said.

“If so, the Mayor, Nasiphi Moya, needs to explain how any potential conflict of interest was identified, declared and managed.”

“These transactions raise valid questions. Municipal procurement must be transparent and able to withstand public scrutiny.”

“Taxpayers have the right to know how every rand is spent and whether processes are free from conflicts of interest.”