ActionSA mayor Nasiphi Moya faces criminal charges and Public Protector and Green Scorpions complaints

ActionSA’s Tshwane mayor, Nasiphi Moya, faces two criminal cases and complaints with the Public Protector and Green Scorpions about a recent water crisis.

The case is based on the failure to chlorinate water at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant, which caused a health disaster.

Sewage contamination of the Bronkhorstspruit River and failures to warn residents about the risks associated with unsafe drinking water caused the crisis.

Water tests revealed extremely high levels of E. coli as well as pathogens such as norovirus, Campylobacter and Shigella.

More than 400 people, mostly children, became ill after drinking the contaminated water and had to be hospitalised with gastroenteritis.

Willie Spies, Freedom Front Plus councillor and mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro, said that Moya was negligent.

“Moya and her Mayoral Committee Member for Utilities, Molatelo Mashola, failed to ensure that the water supplied to residents was properly treated with chlorine,” he said.

“They also failed to timeously warn residents that the water was not safe for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing.”

“We had warned of the serious decay and lack of maintenance at the Bronkhorstspruit plant on 24 June 2026. Those warnings fell on deaf ears.”

He said that the Tshwane Mayor has acknowledged that officials failed to inform senior leadership in time and that communication was poor.

“This is not merely a service delivery failure. It is maladministration that created a serious health risk for vulnerable residents,” he said.

Other parties lodged criminal cases with the police, and the Freedom Front Plus is taking a complementary route focused on accountability and prevention.

• A complaint of maladministration and misconduct was lodged with the Public Protector.

• A complaint was also lodged with the Green Scorpions regarding the ongoing sewage pollution of the Bronkhorstspruit River.

“The residents of Bronkhorstspruit, Zithobeni, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi deserve safe water,” Spies said.

“They also deserve a government that holds those responsible to account through formal investigations and remedial action.”

Criminal cases against Nasiphi Moya and the City of Tshwane

Earlier this week, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) announced that it will open a criminal case against Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya and the Tshwane City Manager.

It explained that this case would be opened by the EFF Treasurer-General and Tshwane Mayoral Candidate, Omphile Maotwe.

The case is based on the failure to chlorinate water at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant, which caused a health disaster.

The EFF is not the only party to open a criminal case against the city over the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis.

The DA has also opened a criminal case at Pretoria Central South African Police Service (SAPS) against the City of Tshwane.

Cilliers Brink, the DA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate, said the city’s records and whistleblower evidence confirmed the crisis.

They showed that cholera bacteria have been detected in samples from the Bronkhorstspruit Wastewater Treatment Works.

“Neglect created this public health crisis. The City failed to chlorinate water at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant for three weeks,” Brink said.

“We warned Mayor Nasiphi Moya and her ANC-ActionSA coalition repeatedly about the collapse of this plant.”

“They ignored the warnings. They continued to starve infrastructure of maintenance while pouring money into water tankers.”