By Tumelo Matlala
The Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Dr. Nasiphi Moya delivered her first state of the Capital Address on Friday, 11 April, 2025. This follows her appointment as the new mayor of the City in October 2024. The State of the City Address, not only focused on the challenges facing the City, but also the real progress the mayoral committee is making. Moya outlined that the multi -party government led by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), African National Congress (ANC) and ActionSa aims at restoring financial stability through responsible budgeting. “I am proud to say that the City’s finances are more stable today than they have been in a long time, and that is something worth celebrating”, said Moya.
The Mayor further outlined that the city has been able to pay its Eskom debt and as a result has decreased by R1 billion, from R6,66 billion in November 2024 to R5,66 billion as of March 2025.The Value Added Tax (VAT) liability related to the PEU Smart Meter contract has been fully settled, with a final payment of R128 million made in March 2025. As well as having the Rand Water account up to date. These are pinned as big milestones achieved by the council in the past six months.
“Tshwane is home to many residents who face daily challenges – unemployment, poverty and limited access to essential services. As a caring City, we are committed to supporting our most vulnerable and helping every resident live with dignity”, said the deputy mayor Eugene Modise.
In her address, Dr. Moya has set out the six priorities of the multi -party government, mentioning financial stability and revenue enhancement; economic revitalisation and investment attraction; infrastructure development and service delivery acceleration; a safe and a clean city; social services and community well being; and lastly strengthening governance and customer care. Moya aims to improve the City’s resorts, nature reserves and heritage sites. “Integrating these into tourism routes to boost our local tourism sector and showcase Tshwane as a capital city we can all be proud of. Furthermore, as part of our 100 Days Programme, we handed over the Schubart Park Precinct and we are finalising an agreement for the Kruger Park Building, following a competitive bidding process.” Moya outlined.
“This was an opportunity for the mayor to outline her version, an agenda distinct from the things that were done by the Democratic Alliance coalition when she was the deputy mayor; unfortunately, she failed to do so today, the financial situation in the city that the residents pay more, and the frequency of bills is a function of work that was done by the our leadership . Tshwane ya tima meaning Tshwane is switching off, improved revenue collection but the question is what gets done with that money ?”, questioned former executive mayor Cilliers Brinks.
“Through several programmes such as Re A Spana meaning “we are working” and Tshwane ya tima by law enforcement, these are more than just slogans, it is a visible, boots-on-the-ground campaign. Through it, City teams are deployed across Tshwane to deliver rapid improvements in basic services and respond directly to community needs.” Said Dr. Moya. The Mayor plans to create more job employment, prioritising youth to make more opportunities for them through stakeholders and private entities. She mentioned initiatives such as the Rosslyn Precinct Plan, which includes big companies such as Ford, Coca-Cola and Nissan which will support the automotive sector and is estimated to yield over 150 000 jobs over the next 40 to 50 years, saying this has been approved. According to the Mayor, the Centurion Precinct Plan Is also en-route to Council.
