‘Money Keeps Flowing, But Water Doesn’t’: Tshwane’s Tanker Spending Sparks Outrage

Tshwane’s tanker scandal: “Money keeps flowing, but water doesn’t”

In a city where dry taps have become an everyday frustration, Tshwane’s growing water tanker bill is now under scrutiny and experts say the City’s defence simply doesn’t hold water.

Last week, Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya hit back at what she called a “false R777 million tanker claim,” saying that an internal audit showed far lower numbers. According to her, the City spent R322.95 million on water tankers during the 2023–24 financial year, marking the first time the function was formally ring-fenced.

But while the mayor insists the figures were inflated, civil society groups and opposition leaders say the math still doesn’t add up.

‘Creative accounting’ or financial spin?

Dr Ferrial Adam, executive manager at WaterCAN, isn’t convinced by the City’s attempt to downplay the numbers.

“Yes, the R777 million may be exaggerated, but Tshwane’s own data is still alarming,” Adam told The Citizen. “They’ve excluded R156 million in pending cancellations, which technically remain on the books until they’re formally processed. That’s not transparency, that’s window-dressing.”

She also warned that the City’s accounting tactics, removing accruals or backdated invoices, distort the true scale of spending.
“Whether you pay in June or July, the money’s still gone. Pretending otherwise doesn’t make the problem disappear,” Adam said.

Her biggest concern, however, isn’t just the figures, it’s what they reveal.
“Hundreds of millions are still being spent on temporary water deliveries while permanent infrastructure lags behind. The City’s defence amounts to creative accounting, not real accountability.”

The politics of water and outrage

The controversy has ignited anger across Tshwane, where residents often depend on tankers for weeks during outages. Many took to social media to share stories of water shortages, with one user posting:

“We’ve had tankers come twice in three weeks. If the City is spending hundreds of millions, where is that money going?”

DA caucus leader Cilliers Brink echoed those frustrations, calling the tanker contracts “out of control” and confirming that the DA has lodged a complaint with the Public Protector.
“We want a full, independent investigation into how these contracts are managed,” Brink said.

A deeper problem than numbers

Behind the spreadsheets lies a deeper issue: Tshwane’s crumbling water infrastructure. The City has struggled for years with decaying pipelines, mismanagement, and load shedding’s impact on pumping stations. WaterCAN argues that the reliance on costly tanker deliveries is a symptom of that decay, not a solution.

“More outages mean more tankers and more contracts,” said Adam. “The real question is why the outages keep happening in the first place.”

As the City braces for a forensic investigation, residents are left hoping for more than promises and press statements.
Because in Tshwane, as Adam put it bluntly
“Money keeps flowing, but water doesn’t.”

{Source: The Citizen}

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