Tshwane mayor blames politics for false narrative over R777m water tanker spend

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya has reiterated her view that politics is continuing to drive a false narrative around the City's spending on water tankers.

Recently, a News24 article sparked outrage over the city’s spending after reporting that it had spent R777 million on water tanks in one year.

"In the political fight, we lose the main issue that we should be talking about here."

She told CapeTalk and 702’s Aubrey Masango that a city 'official' had taken a screenshot of the R777 million figure and leaked it. That amount, she explained, came from purchase orders.

"It includes the POs that have been paid, some that have been cancelled, some are duplicates, and some are still under review."

Moya said the actual amount spent during the 2024/2025 year was R621 million.

"It includes R179 million that accrued from the previous financial year."

ALSO READ: Tshwane Municipality disputes that it spent R777m on water tankers in one year

Earlier in October, Democratic Alliance (DA) Tshwane mayoral candidate, Cilliers Brink, demanded answers from Moya, who had faced criticism for her silence on what’s been dubbed the "tanker mafia".

The DA claims that the enormous bill stems from individuals profiting from contracted services at the expense of infrastructure.

"I believe there’s a racket of ANC politicians and others in the coalition benefiting from this; there’s simply no other explanation," Brink told CapeTalk/702 host Africa Melane.

Moya said there was no truth in the accusations.

"To say that this administration came in, they are corrupt and feeding their friends through water tankers is not correct because the majority of that amount was accumulated through the previous administration."

Moya admitted that the bill for water tankers was still significant.

"There are no excuses in terms of trying to hide whether the amount is justified or not; the amount is quite high."

She added that it was no secret that the city's infrastructure, including water, was ailing.

"We do have interruptions of water supply, and when that happens, we do deploy water tankers."

To listen to Moya in conversation with CapeTalk/702's Aubrey Masango, click below: