R777 million water tanker spend sparks tensions in Tshwane coalition

Evidence of the City of Tshwane’s 455% overspend on water tankers in one financial year has increased tensions within the metro’s governing coalition.

This comes after the head of the Environment and Agriculture portfolio accused the Mayor of having double standards in her governance.

The conflict stems from a News24 exposé that found that Tshwane had spent R777 million on water tankers this financial year, as opposed to R140 million in 2024.

The 455% increase was reported to be the City’s Department of Water and Sanitation’s biggest operational expenditure.

According to the news outlet, Tshwane had only budgeted R78.2 million for the year, just over half what was spent the year prior.

Following this, on Monday, the EFF’s Mayoral Committee Member for Environment and Agriculture, Ramabodu Obakeng, slammed ActionSA Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya for what he called inconsistent responses to the media.

“When the City of Tshwane is clean, financially stable, provides good service and enforces by-laws, you say it is the work of the Mayor and ActionSA,” he wrote on X.

“When the newspapers ask you about allegations of R777 million water tankers, you say the coalition-led government must account.”

“It’s important to remind you that all the coalition parties contribute to the progress made in Tshwane, collectively led by the Executive Mayor,” he added.

The current coalition between ActionSA, the ANC, the EFF, Patriotic Alliance, and several smaller parties was formed after former Mayor Cilliers Brink was ousted in September 2024.

Moya was then elected as the metro’s fourth Mayor in three years, with ActionSA having 19 seats relative to the EFF’s 23 and the ANC’s 75 out of a total of 214.

The R777 million revelation

Municipal financial years run from the beginning of July until the end of June the following year.

According to the News24 report, the metro then inflated the budget by an additional R242 million in February this year.

This brought the total budget to R320 million, which grew to more than double the expenditures of the previous period.

However, by the end of the financial year, the metro had outspent the allocated amount by R458 million. This amount will now have to be declared as irregular expenditure.

Newsday contacted the City for comment, which was acknowledged. However, it failed to respond by the given deadline.

However, Tshwane’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, told News24 that the increased expenditure on water tankers was due to a number of factors, including a planned infrastructure outage by Rand Water in July 2024.

Mashigo added that supply outages caused by failing infrastructure and the failure of the Rooiwaal Wastewater Treatment Plant’s failure to comply with drinking water standards also required that the tankers be used to provide water to communities.

During the previous administration, the City also spent more on water tankers than it had budgeted. However, not to this extent.

It initially budgeted R51 million, supplemented with an additional R54 million to bring its total budget to R105 million.

By the end of June 2024, Tshwane had spent R140.3 million, exceeding its approved budget by R35.2 million.

Several political parties have criticised the metro’s mismanagement of funds, with FF+ Tshwane caucus leader Grandi Theunissen highlighting an inflation in the cost of water procured by the municipality.

He said that the cost of 10 cents per litre, as opposed to one cent for bulk water, was a tenfold increase that was fiscally irresponsible and operationally unsustainable.

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party spokesperson for Gauteng, Abe Tau, said the over-expenditure “is a huge indictment of Mayor Moya and her party, who have styled themselves as corruption busters.”

Former Mayor ‘launches investigation’ into the over-expenditure

Brink explained in a press release titled “DA launches investigation into R777 million Tshwane water tanker jackpot” that tankers should only be used in certain circumstances.

“In places with taps and potable water, tankers are only meant to be deployed if bulk suppliers restrict water and the City’s reservoirs run dry,” he said.

“This typically happens during load-shedding or as a result of repairs and maintenance on major supply systems.”

However, the former Mayor highlights that the country has experienced very little load-shedding, and Rand Water has resolved several maintenance issues throughout the metro.

There has also been a drought in the City. However, Brink says that it is no worse than in previous years.

He explains that several infrastructure projects, such as completing the first phase of a package plant built on the Apies River, should have reduced the City’s water tanker bill.

However, regarding the DA’s investigation, the party hopes to achieve this by writing to Tshwane municipal manager Johann Mettler “to ask for the most comprehensive internal investigation possible.”