The Tshwane metro rejected claims that its 2026/27 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is a recycled document.

This follows criticism from the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) that the plan reflects ‘strategic decay and institutional paralysis’.

FF Plus councillor Nick Pascoe said the metro’s 2026/27 IDP is “nothing more than a rehash of previous plans,” adding that it highlights three years of declining strategy and governance.

The report was tabled before Council, where the party said its analysis revealed that the metro is ignoring critical infrastructure needs while acknowledging that new projects are no longer being funded.

“While the metro dreams of a ‘smart city by 2055’, the reality is that power outages will intensify,” Pascoe said.

He further claimed that most power depots have less than 5% of staff authorised to work on high-voltage lines, and that the metro’s refusal to bring in external expertise leaves residents without electricity for extended periods.

“Residents are often stranded without electricity for days on end,” he said.

Pascoe also criticised what he described as administrative failures, pointing to references in official documents to meetings scheduled for 2028.

“An obvious sign that the plan was simply copied and pasted without basic quality control,” he said.

He said supply chain failures are further weakening the metro’s ability to carry out maintenance.

“The supply chain for parts and labour has collapsed, seriously impairing the metro’s ability to perform basic maintenance,” Pascoe said.

“The Freedom Front Plus is of the opinion that the current coalition has forfeited its mandate. A metro cannot aspire to be ‘smart’ when it cannot even keep the lights on or perform basic maintenance. Tshwane is not being governed; it is heading for total collapse,” Pascoe explained.

He said residents deserve a government that is technically ‘competent and capable’ of delivering services and growing the economy.

However, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the IDP is developed in line with legislative requirements and is not redrafted from scratch each year.

“In terms of the Municipal Systems Act, the IDP is developed and adopted at the beginning of a political term and remains valid for five years,” Mashigo said.

He said core components of the IDP are updated annually, where necessary.

“This includes the Disaster Management Plan, the Capital Expenditure Framework, and various sector plans aligned with the objectives of the IDP.”

Mashigo added that key priorities remain in place until a new council is elected, with annual reviews conducted in line with legislation.

“Performance targets are projected for the outer years based on available resources,” he said.

Mashigo acknowledged that financial constraints have affected the city’s ability to fund new infrastructure projects, but said plans are in place to expand investment.

“The current financial position of the city, including its reliance on conditional grants, has limited the funding available for new infrastructure projects. However, the draft Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF) reflects an increase in the capital budget from R2.8-billion to R3.5-billion and R3.8-billion over the MTREF period,” he said.

Mashigo said the MTREF growth will enable the planning of new infrastructure projects.

“In the interim, the city is prioritising the completion of existing multi-year projects to avoid delays in service delivery and prevent fruitless and wasteful expenditure.”

He also outlined measures to address service delivery challenges, particularly in electricity infrastructure.

“The draft MTREF allocates R1.46-billion for 2026/27, R1.58-billion for 2027/28, and R1.65-billion for 2028/29 towards repairs and maintenance. Of this, 25%, 26%, and 26.7% respectively are allocated to electricity infrastructure to address ageing assets,” he said.

“In addition, the draft capital budget for energy and electricity is R597-million in 2026/27, R836-million in 2027/28, and R748- million in 2028/29 to support ongoing capital investment in the network.”

Mashigo said the metro remains focused on fulfilling its constitutional obligations and has not forfeited its mandate.

“Section 152 of the Constitution of South Africa requires municipalities to strive to achieve their objectives within their available financial and administrative capacity,” he said.

“The city’s priorities include financial stability and revenue enhancement, infrastructure development and service delivery acceleration, economic revitalisation and investment attraction, a safe and clean city, social services and community well-being, as well as strengthening governance and customer care.”

Mashigo said these priorities demonstrate the city’s continued commitment to delivering on its mandate despite existing constraints.

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