Civic Group Demands Tshwane Be Placed Under Administration Over R777 Million Water-Tanker Bill

A civic organisation has renewed calls for a provincial takeover of the City of Tshwane, pointing to what it says is systemic mismanagement in the ballooning water-tanker programme. The Soil of Africa (SOA) Civic Movement accuses local government of corruption, poor planning and a lack of transparency.

What SOA Is Saying

• SOA chair King Bongani Ramontja says the reported rise in tanker spendingfrom R140 million to R777 millionis more than a service-delivery issue. He calls it “reckless and ballooning” misgovernance.

• The organisation claims R336 million of that total has no clear explanation. According to SOA, the municipality hasn’t published full records showing who the tanker contractors are, what they’re paid, or how much water they deliver.

• SOA further alleges that many of the tanker contractors are linked to councillors or senior municipal officials, raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns.

• They’re calling for a forensic audit of all tanker contracts since 2022, public naming of all suppliers, and an intervention under Section 139 by the Gauteng government.

• SOA plans to push the matter to the National Treasury, COGTA, and the National Prosecuting Authority.

The City’s Defense

• Mayor Nasiphi Moya rejects the R777 million figure as misleading. She says it comes from a system extract of purchase orders, not actual payments.

• According to the mayor, the verified expenditure for the 2024/25 year was R621 million, which includes R179 million in accruals from previous years.

• She points out that water outages have surgedfrom 7,288 in 2022/23 to 23,746 in 2024/25and says tanker usage reflects a real, growing need.

• The city also says it has initiated its own independent forensic investigation and is investing in city-owned tankers, hydrant metering, and infrastructure repair.

Why It Matters for Tshwane Residents

• Many neighborhoods, especially in under-served areas, rely on these tankers when the water system fails. SOA argues that instead of continuing to outsource, funds should be used to build permanent infrastructure.

• The sheer scale of spendingwhether “procurement orders” or actual money paidraises serious questions about fiscal accountability and how service delivery is being managed.

• A Section 139 intervention would mean that Gauteng’s provincial government could place the metro under administration, which is a major step and a sign of lost confidence in the current municipal leadership.

Final Thought

Whether R777 million is a headline figure, a system extract, or real-time spending, the controversy has triggered calls for more than explanationsit’s prompting demands for accountability at the highest level. As SOA mobilises for a forensic probe and possible provincial administration, Tshwane residents will be watching closely: this could redefine how their city is governed.