Cllr Nasiphi Moya, the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, along with Members of the Mayoral Committee, recently hosted an Imbizo in Soshanguve and Hammanskraal as part of the new administration’s 100-day plan. The initiative seeks to strengthen ties with residents through direct community engagement.
The Mayor highlighted the administration’s six priorities, including improved communication with residents. “We achieve this through community engagement programmes. These initiatives began two weeks ago,” said Cllr Moya.
The Imbizo forms part of a broader effort to address community concerns and deliver on the promises made by the new executive team. “We started in Ga-Rankuwa, moved to Refilwe in Region 5, were in Hammanskraal in Region 1 yesterday, and today we are here in Soshanguve. The reason we chose Soshanguve again, despite having already visited Region 1 twice, is because of the pressing service delivery issues here,” explained the Mayor.
Addressing Key Issues: Water, Electricity, and Debt
Mayor Moya cited the ongoing water crisis as a significant concern in Region 1. “The water crisis has hit this region very hard. It was crucial for the municipality to come to the communities and inform them of our plans to address these challenges. Power outages are another major issue impacting this region, and we are working on measures to resolve them.”
The Mayor also addressed the city’s mounting debt, revealing that residents owe the municipality over R23 billion. “The majority of that debt comes from Region 1, for various reasons. What stood out in today’s meeting was the residents’ openness in sharing their vulnerabilities and explaining why this crisis exists,” said Moya.
Moya acknowledged the challenges surrounding prepaid electricity meters in the region. “Some residents were unaware of the need to convert their meters, which we are addressing. However, many have tampered with meters. Residents admitted to it, saying they tried to regularise their accounts but couldn’t get assistance.
“What this tells us as a city is that we cannot keep quoting the R23 billion figure when we know a significant portion of it will never be recovered. One of our tasks is to review that debt, determine what is irrecoverable, and decide on the way forward, all within the framework of the city’s policies.”
The Mayor reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to addressing these issues and restoring trust between the municipality and its residents.
