“Tshwane Ya Tima” Bites: Mayor Moya Forces State to Pay Up as R91m Drips In

The message from Tshwane’s mayor is clear and uncompromising: the days of the state being a delinquent debtor are over. With national and provincial government departments owing the metro a staggering R1.9 billion, Mayor Nasiphi Moya is wielding the city’s credit control hammerthe “Tshwane Ya Tima” (Tshwane Switches Off) campaignwith equal force against powerful state entities.

The tough stance is starting to yield early results. The city has confirmed that the National Department of Public Works has processed payments totalling R91 million for municipal accounts in arrears. This payment is a direct response to the city’s intensified pressure, which has included site visits and disconnection notices to major government facilities.

A Refreshing Stance Wins Praise

Moya’s unapologetic approach has drawn strong praise from coalition partners. ActionSA’s national chair, Michael Beaumont, applauded the mayor, highlighting the hypocrisy of state departments that “do not pay its bills and cry foul when they are disconnected.” He commended Moya for dealing with them “unapologetically,” insisting they must be treated like any other resident in arrears.

“When the operation Tshwane Ya Tima began, we were owed R1.9 billion by various government departments. We are glad to have made progress,” Mayor Moya stated, framing the R91 million as a first step in a long-overdue collection drive.

Prisons in the Spotlight: A Temporary Reprieve

The campaign’s muscular approach was recently spotlighted at two major correctional facilities: Kgosi Mampuru and Baviaanspoort. City officials visited the sites after their accounts fell into “significant arrears” following prolonged non-payment. According to city spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, officials from the Department of Correctional Services did not dispute the debt but claimed they were unaware of its full scope, pledging to engage Public Works.

Given the sensitive nature of the facilities, the city exercised discretion, allowing until the following Monday to resolve the issue without immediately cutting power. Mashigo emphasized that the arrears wereand as of the latest reports, remainreal and reflected on the city’s system.

The Long Road to R1.9 Billion

The R91 million payment, while significant, is a fraction of the total owed. It signals that the campaign can extract payments but underscores the sheer scale of the challenge. The debt represents critical revenue needed for service delivery, infrastructure, and financial stability in South Africa’s capital city.

Moya’s strategy is a bold test of a municipality’s power to hold its own government to account. It asks a fundamental question: if the state does not pay for its water and electricity, how can it expect citizens to? As “Tshwane Ya Tima” continues, all eyes will be on whether this drip of payments becomes a steady flow, or if bureaucratic inertia will prove too formidable to overcome.