Tshwane mayor responds to R777 million water tanker expenditure allegations

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya has addressed claims that her administration spent R777 million on water tanker services in the first nine months of her term, describing the figure as "incorrect." During a media briefing at Tshwane House, Moya explained that the reported amount was based on a system extract showing total purchase orders, including R156 million in cancelled, duplicated, or unprocessed transactions. She clarified that this figure represented procurement activity, not actual expenditure.

According to Moya, the verified financial records indicate that in the 2023/24 financial year, the city recorded R322 million in expenditure on water tankers, which included R179 million in unpaid invoices that were settled in 2025. She emphasized that the R140 million figure quoted in the media excluded these unpaid bills, thus understating the true cost incurred under the previous administration.

For the 2024/25 financial year, Moya stated that the city actually paid R621 million, which includes the R179 million in accruals from the previous year. After excluding these accruals, the actual expenditure amounts to R441 million, representing a 36% increase from the previous year. She attributed this rise to a 50% increase in water outages during the same period.

Municipal Manager Johann Mettler supported Moya's claims, noting that the number of reported water outages surged from 7,288 in 2022/23 to 23,746 in 2024/25, leading to increased tanker costs. He attributed the water outages to several factors, including Rand Water bulk supply disruptions, contamination of the Apies River in the Hammanskraal area, an ageing distribution network, and key reservoir area failures due to power disruptions and vandalism.

Moya also highlighted the city's efforts to reduce reliance on water tankers, including the development of boreholes in informal and peri-urban areas. The Human Settlements Department has allocated R10 million for this initiative.