The City of Tshwane’s available cash has fallen year-on-year from R2.3b to R1.8b, according to the DA.

DA Tshwane finance spokesperson Jacqui Uys said the city’s financial position was dire, despite the coalition’s claims of recovery.

She accused the coalition government of financial mismanagement, claiming “poor service delivery, enabling water tanker mafias and causing the repossession of emergency vehicles”.

Uys claimed the municipality was failing to pay small, medium and micro enterprises within 90 days.

She added that the coalition was misleading residents while local service delivery regressed.

“Residents do not experience financial recovery through unaudited spreadsheets. They experience it through whether the city has enough cash to pay suppliers, maintain essential services and fix failing infrastructure.

“The city’s firefighting vehicles have been repossessed because of non-payment. While water leaks are escalating and water losses have reached 48%, the ANC continues to overspend on water tankers,” Uys claimed.

She stated that the government was celebrating a recovery based on public, unaudited financial statements.

“The residents of Tshwane might not be privy to these unaudited financial statements, but what they can see is water running down the streets and open excavations being left behind because the city apparently does not have the money to properly restore them,” Uys said.

She added that there was no better metaphor for the local administration’s financial management.

“Tshwane is full of open holes, but the ANC cannot plug the financial holes because it is running short of cash,” she said.

MMC for Community Safety Alderman Hannes Coetzee refuted claims that fire engines were repossessed, calling the statements false and misleading.

“To be clear, there are no emergency services vehicles that have been repossessed as a result of non-payment,” Coetzee said.

He expressed disappointment that public representatives would make such serious allegations without first verifying the facts.

“Residents should be able to expect that claims made by elected representatives, particularly about something as important as the city’s emergency-response capacity, are based on evidence rather than speculation,” he said.

Coetzee clarified that several emergency vehicles were unavailable because they were undergoing routine repairs and maintenance.

“This is entirely normal for an operational fleet of this size and complexity. These vehicles have a range of identified mechanical and technical faults and are at various stages of the repair process.”

He explained that specialised repairs and sourcing international parts could extend maintenance periods.

Coetzee acknowledged that the emergency services operated an ageing fleet due to historical underinvestment in municipal assets.

“Given the city’s constrained capital budget, it is not possible to replace an entire specialised fleet at once. We must therefore maintain and repair serviceable vehicles while progressively replacing older vehicles as resources become available,” he said.

He claimed that the current leadership had prioritised fleet investment.

“In February this year, the city commissioned additional new bush pumpers and support vehicles to add to the five additional firefighting trucks procured in December 2025. These acquisitions form part of an ongoing programme to renew the fleet, modernise municipal assets and strengthen the city’s internal emergency-response capacity,” he said.

Coetzee added that assertions that fleet issues compromised public safety were misleading, as strategic planning ensured operational coverage.

He noted that during the most recent reporting period, 91.24% of emergency calls were processed and dispatched within 120 seconds, exceeding the 70% target.

“Between August 31 and September 6, emergency services dealt with 162 incidents across Tshwane, including 121 fire incidents,” he said.

“These results are achieved because of the professionalism and commitment of our firefighters, emergency personnel and management teams, often while working with an ageing fleet that we are progressively renewing,” Coetzee said.

Rekord sent an enquiry to the City of Tshwane regarding the city’s financial statements and standing, which was directed to the mayoral committee spokesperson, who did not reply by the time of publication despite numerous follow-ups.

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