The Tshwane mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, has made the metro’s response to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry central to her administration’s anti-corruption agenda.

She framed the allegations emerging from the commission as evidence of long-standing governance failures rather than a sudden crisis under the current multiparty coalition.

The commission, which is investigating allegations of criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system, has heard testimony relating to the TMPD’s multibillion-rand security tenders.

Evidence before the inquiry suggested that extensions to a tender issued in 2022 may have been used to keep a limited number of companies on the city’s payroll, with ad-hoc services creating particular risks of abuse.

Speaking at a media briefing ahead of a council meeting on March 26, where the draft budget will be considered, Moya said the revelations were consistent with the institutional weaknesses her administration had identified when it took office.

“When we took office, we found a metro in serious trouble. The problems were not isolated, and they were not accidental. They were the result of years of weak controls, poor financial discipline, ballooning debt, and a culture in which there were too few consequences for failure and wrongdoing,” she said.

She noted that the Auditor-General had repeatedly warned about weak oversight and consequence management in the municipality.

“That is the environment we inherited in Tshwane,” she said.

Moya told journalists that the matters now surfacing at the Madlanga Commission did not come as a surprise to the current administration.

“They are a consequence of the same pattern of institutional weakness we identified when we took office,” she said.

“Long before these matters entered the public spotlight, we had already begun confronting the underlying governance failures that made them possible.”

The mayor stressed that the coalition government had taken a deliberate decision not to ignore or downplay corruption risks.

“We state categorically that these problems were inherited, but ignoring them was never an option for this coalition. Since taking office, we have been working tirelessly to restore controls, strengthen oversight, enforce accountability, and rebuild a culture of consequence management across the metro,” she said.

She described the situation facing the metro as the result of accumulated governance failures.

“We are not dealing with a sudden crisis. We are dealing with the accumulated damage of years of poor governance. Our task is to fix it, and that is exactly what we are doing.”

Moya also used the briefing to express unequivocal support for the commission’s work, saying its impact extended beyond its immediate terms of reference.

“On behalf of the mayoral committee, we commend the Madlanga Commission for its firm and uncompromising work in advancing accountability and transparency in South Africa. Its impact reaches far beyond its terms of reference and speaks directly to the kind of ethical, capable, and responsive state our people demand and deserve,” she said.

She added that the metro would not treat the commission’s eventual findings as a procedural formality.

“Let me be clear: the commission’s recommendations will not be ignored or reduced to a box-ticking exercise. They will be taken seriously, acted upon decisively, and used to drive real reform where it is needed, because we are determined to restore public trust, strengthen our institutions, and ensure that no one is above accountability.”

According to Moya, the municipality has already taken steps to safeguard the integrity of investigations while the commission continues its work.

She confirmed that the MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kholofelo Morodi, had been placed on special leave following allegations raised at the commission. Metro police deputy commissioner Umashi Dhlamini was also on leave to allow for a fair investigation.

“In respect of the CFO, Gareth Mnisi, a disciplinary report is being tabled to council to initiate a process for his precautionary suspension,” Moya said, adding that Mnisi had been at home on leave while the city processed the investigation.

She said the metro was fully co-operating with the commission and had formally engaged with it.

“We will consider its findings once its work is concluded and will implement its recommendations where appropriate. But, in the meantime, we have not waited.”

Moya emphasised that action against alleged wrongdoing was not limited to the matters currently before the commission.

She pointed to multiple ongoing investigations within the municipality, including cases in the finance department linked to an alleged R1.5-million refund fraud that had already resulted in 27 active suspensions and criminal proceedings in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

She also addressed allegations relating to the recruitment of 200 TMPD cadets, saying concerns had been raised with the city before they were mentioned at the commission and that an investigation had already been initiated in February.

The mayor said the metro’s response to the commission would shape broader reforms in procurement and governance.

She warned that weaknesses in areas such as water tanker contracts and security tenders highlighted systemic risks that required structural changes rather than isolated disciplinary action.

Moya further rejected suggestions that the administration had victimised whistle-blowers, saying the metro was committed to protecting individuals who came forward with information.

She acknowledged that some officials might have felt marginalised in the past but insisted that the current leadership was determined to create a safer environment for reporting wrongdoing.

As the commission continues to hear testimony, Moya said the metro’s priority was to restore stability and public confidence in municipal institutions.

She linked this objective to the tabling of a second funded budget, a step she described as part of rebuilding financial discipline after years of unfunded budgets and escalating debt.

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