Tshwane mayor challenges R777 million water tanker figures

Tshwane Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya has responded to reports that the city spent R777 million on water tankers during the 2024/25 financial year, alleging that they are incorrect.

Instead, she told a 23 October media briefing that Tshwane only spent R441 million during the period, which is a 36% increase on the previous year’s expenditure, despite a 50% increase in water outages.

Regardless, Moya said that she has instructed the City Manager institute an independent forensic investigation into all aspects of the City’s water tankering operations.

This follows a News24 investigation that reported that the city had spent R777 million on water tankers by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

The report also said that R140 million had been spent during the 2023/24 financial year, marking a 455% increase in expenditure.

This was of significance not only because of the difference, but because the city was under a different administration during the 2023/24 financial year.

The current coalition between the ANC, the EFF, ActionSA, the 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 holding 19 seats, the EFF 23, and the ANC 75 out of a total of 214.

The mayor said that the report misinterpreted the figures, adding that the increase in expenditure correlated with the rise in water outages.

During the 2023/24 financial year, the city ring-fenced the water tanker budget, spending R322 million throughout the period, said the mayor.

Municipal financial years run from the beginning of July until the end of June the following year, meaning that the 2023/24 year concluded at the end of June 2024.

However, by the end of the 2023/24 financial year, several water tanker contractors remained unpaid, with arrears totaling R179 million.

Moya said that this was settled in the following financial year and added to the period’s total expenditure.

Value of purchase orders and not expenditure, says Moya

“The R777 million figure is not based on audited expenditure, but on a system extract showing the total value of purchase orders, including R156 million in cancelled, duplicate, or unprocessed transactions,” Moya said at a press briefing.

“It reflects procurement activity, not financial expenditure.”

This leaves R621 million spent on water tankers, which amounts to R442 million once the accruals from the previous year have been deducted.

Moya added that R98 million (22% of the year’s expenditure) was spent during the first quarter of the year, under the former administration.

Therefore, the new administration had to apply for an additional R150 million in December, as the initial budget, initiated by the previous administration, had been exhausted in the first quarter.

The budget was eventually raised to R320 million and approved in February 2025.

“These amendments, together with the need to settle the R179 million in unpaid invoices, confirmed that pre-existing operational pressures and unpaid expenditure drove the city’s tanker expenditure challenges,” Moya said.

The city said that the increased expenditure was due to a number of reasons including a significant increase in water outages and infrastructure upgrades.

Municipal Manager Johan Mettler highlighted that there were 14,988 “no water” reports during the 2023/24 financial year, which then increased to 23,746 the following year — a 58% increase.

Moya said that 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

In addition to this, the city also had to cover planned Rand Water outages to address years of neglected infrastructure.

Former mayor takes aim at expenditure

Following the publication of the News24 report, Brink said that the DA had written to the City Manager to launch a forensic investigation into the matter.

He argued that the emergency supply of water to formalised areas has become the single largest operational expenditure item of the City’s Department of Water and Sanitation, surpassing capital spending on pipe replacements.w

The former mayor added that the increase from R140 million to R777 million marked a 455% increase in expenditure.

“If Tshwane does have a prolonged water emergency, it is entirely self-induced, if not carefully orchestrated,” he said.

“What accounts for more leaks? In part the money taken away from water maintenance teams in order to fund extra water tanker expenditure.”