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Over recent weeks, I have become aware of allegations being circulated to a number of journalists and media organisations concerning work undertaken at my private residence.

In particular, it is being alleged that Tlopo Construction, a company which has reportedly conducted business with the City of Tshwane, was responsible for the construction of a swimming pool and other improvements at my home.

The central premise of these allegations is that I somehow benefited from private work undertaken by a contractor of the City.

However, this allegation is false. Tlopo Construction has not undertaken any work at my home. The allegations are based on a transaction that simply did not occur.

For the record, I had a swimming pool constructed at my private residence in early 2025. More than a year later, in 2026, I separately contracted another company to undertake paving around the pool and elsewhere on the property.

These were separate projects, undertaken at different times by different service providers. Neither project was undertaken by Tlopo Construction.

All work at my private residence was contracted in my private capacity and paid for from my own funds.

I have nevertheless become increasingly concerned by what appears to be a coordinated effort by political opponents in Tshwane to circulate these allegations to journalists.

My office is now aware that substantially similar allegations have been presented to multiple journalists and media organisations. Of particular concern is that the first version of these allegations brought to our attention purported to come from a journalist who, as far as we have been able to establish, does not exist.

We have also been made aware of attempts to interest journalists in further unsubstantiated negative stories concerning me.

This is occurring approximately three months before South Africans go to the polls in the local government elections on 4 November.

I entered public office knowing that my conduct would rightly be subjected to scrutiny. As Executive Mayor, I recognise that I must be held to a higher standard and that I have a responsibility to account openly for my conduct. I welcome that scrutiny and have never shied away from it.

That is precisely why I have chosen to address these allegations proactively. I have nothing to hide. The facts are clear, I have the documentation to substantiate them, and I am entirely comfortable standing behind them.

However, I will not submit my private life and personal finances to an open-ended fishing expedition on the basis of allegations whose central factual premise is demonstrably false.

There is a difference between legitimate scrutiny and the deliberate manufacture of a scandal. Accountability must be grounded in facts, not innuendo or politically motivated allegations circulated to journalists in the hope that repetition will give them credibility.

I will not be intimidated or distracted by attempts to manufacture controversy around me ahead of an election.

The residents of Tshwane entrusted me with the responsibility to lead this City and improve their lives. That remains my focus. I will continue doing that work openly, confidently and without distraction.

Issued by Executive Mayor of Tshwane Dr Nasiphi Moya