The City of Tshwane plans to table a R2.8bn budget for capital infrastructure in the 2026/27 financial year, while spending less on outside contractors in a bid to fight corruption and fix its finances.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, mayor Nasiphi Moya said the city was trying to fix problems that had built up over many years, including poor management, weak financial controls and growing debt.
She also presented a draft budget for the 2026/27 financial year, which the council must review and approve before it can proceed to public consultation ahead of finalisation.
“When we took office, we found a city in serious trouble and these problems were not new. They were built up over many years,” Moya said.
She stressed that the planned budget showed that the city wanted to rely less on contractors.
“Spending on contracted services will be reduced, including a big cut in water tankering costs, which will drop by 79% to R126.7m. Security contract spending will also be reduced,” she said.
Instead, the city will use more of its own resources and money will be spent on improving water systems, waste services, municipal vehicles and road maintenance equipment.
We are not dealing with a sudden crisis; we are dealing with years of damage. Our task is to fix it
— Nasiphi Moya, Tshwane mayor
Moya said the city wanted to focus on long-term solutions. She said more money will go towards bulk water supply, specifically:
- fixing wastewater plants;
- replacing old pipes; and
- managing water demand.
“The R2.8bn capital budget is a 14.2% increase from the previous year and we plan to increase it further to R3.5bn in 2027/28. This will help improve infrastructure and reduce service delivery problems in future.”
The National Treasury has also given Tshwane an extra R341.7m through a grant to be used for water and electricity projects, she said.
The city is taking steps to deal with corruption. Moya said 146 investigations were launched in the 2024/25 financial year to deal with wrongdoing. Some senior officials have recently been placed on leave and others are facing disciplinary action:
- Corporate and shared services MMC Kholofelo Morodi was placed on special leave while her case is being reviewed. During the cross-examination of Sgt Fannie Nkosi at the Madlanga commission, evidence revealed that Morodi had shared tender-bidding documents with Nkosi.
- Tshwane metro police department deputy commissioner Umashi Dhlamini has been placed on leave to allow investigations to continue.
- A disciplinary report involving CFO Gareth Mnisi will be placed before council.
- In another case, 27 officials in the finance department have been suspended over an alleged R1.5m refund fraud and some of these cases were already before the courts.
More systems are being introduced to reduce corruption risks, said Moya.
“From July 2026, the city will move to a digital system for procurement to improve transparency and reduce manipulation. More checks will also be put in place for big tenders to make sure proper processes are followed.”
These changes are meant to rebuild public trust and make the city more stable, she said. “We are not dealing with a sudden crisis; we are dealing with years of damage. Our task is to fix it.”
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