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Today, the DA picketed outside the Gauteng Premier’s office to protest against the water mafia in Tshwane.

We have submitted a formal request to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi for an urgent forensic investigation, in terms of Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act, into the R777 million spent on water tankers by the ANC-ActionSA-led City of Tshwane during the 2024/25 financial year.

This follows serious procurement irregularities, payments to politically connected companies, and mounting evidence of the misuse of emergency water tanker contracts.

Our submission identifies several transactions that demand immediate investigation:

-R95 million reportedly paid to Nomakhuwa Trading and Projects, despite questions about whether the company had sufficient water tankers to deliver the contracted services.
-R125 million paid to M RAMS Enterprise.
-R31.7 million paid to companies linked to ANC Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise and ANC Regional Treasurer Rhulani James Shelenge, despite allegations that these companies did not own verifiable water tankers.

We have also demanded the immediate preservation of all records relating to these water tanker contracts, including tender documents, bid evaluation reports, purchase orders, invoices, delivery notes, trip sheets, GPS and telematics data, and all relevant financial and procurement records.

These records are important, given what happened before the DA-led government was removed from office. In June 2024, we canceled a water tanker tender because of serious procurement irregularities and refused to pay water tanker operators who demanded payment without valid purchase orders.

Shortly afterward, the ANC, with the help of ActionSA, removed the DA-led government. Under Mayor Nasiphi Moya, the City subsequently paid water tanker invoices that our administration had refused to pay.

It is therefore critical that these records are preserved and subjected to forensic scrutiny to establish who authorised the payments, whether the services were actually delivered, and who benefited from the contracts.

We cannot allow evidence to be buried or destroyed. The full extent of the R777 million water tanker scandal must be exposed, and anyone found responsible for corruption must be held accountable.

Meanwhile, the City's water infrastructure continues to deteriorate. Tshwane is reportedly losing between R1.35 billion and R1.7 billion worth of water annually, with its own dashboard recording average water losses of 42.6% over a 12-month period.
In parts of Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa and Mabopane, approximately half of the water supplied is being lost.

This creates a dangerous situation in which failing infrastructure drives demand for emergency water tankers, while the money needed to repair that infrastructure is consumed by expensive contracts.

The more the water system fails, the more lucrative emergency water tanker contracts become. This is precisely why the allegations of a water tanker mafia must be thoroughly investigated.

We have called on the Gauteng Provincial Treasury to conduct a full forensic investigation into these contracts, preserve all procurement and payment records, verify whether services were actually delivered, and hold accountable anyone found to have benefited unlawfully.

Premier Lesufi must explain what action his government will take to investigate these allegations. We have requested a formal response within 30 days.

If elected to govern Tshwane, in accordance with our 2026 Manifesto, I will ringfence water revenue and reinvest it directly into replacing ageing pipes, fixing leaks and upgrading water infrastructure.

By fixing water infrastructure and reducing costly losses, we can create the reliable basic services businesses need to invest, grow and create jobs.

Tshwane needs water in taps, not tankers. The allegations surrounding the R777 million water tanker expenditure must be investigated, and those responsible for any corruption must face the consequences.

Issued by DA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate Ald Cilliers Brink