Mayor labels allegations as politically opportunistic amid overpayment of salaries, questions timing

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya has hit back at the DA, describing its allegations as ‘disingenuous at best and politically opportunistic at worst’.

This follows a DA statement issued on August 26, calling for the mayor to repay the municipality, alleging that she, along with several other senior officials in the Tshwane metro, were overpaid during the 2019/2020 financial year.

In the statement, DA finance spokesperson in Tshwane, Jacqui Uys, said it remained unclear whether the overpayments were caused by error or linked to payment irregularities, some of which have resulted in disciplinary action.

“In most instances, the overpayments were recouped from salary increases awarded to senior officials. In four instances, officials signed agreements to pay back the undue money in instalments,” Uys said.

She added that the DA had repeatedly questioned Moya on the matter since May.

“In June, the DA received a response from the city manager, stating that Moya had the necessary information to answer the question, and she committed to sharing it once verified as ‘accurate and complete’.

“However, two months later, and despite repeated follow-ups, no answer was provided,” Uys said.

The DA issued a statement on August 27 stating that Moya had now agreed to repay approximately R270 000.

“Most officials who received undue payments have already paid back the money or made payment arrangements with the city.

“It is unfortunate that Moya had to be prompted publicly to do what is right, instead of setting an example at her own accord,” Uys added.

She added that this would be Moya’s second repayment to the City, referencing a previous R10 000 reimbursement for an international trip she did not undertake.

Rekord reached out to the mayor, and mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi shared a letter responding to the allegations. The letter is addressed to the DA Tshwane caucus leader, Cilliers Brink.

In the letter, Moya says the party’s sudden interest in the matter is surprising, given that the issue dates back several years.

“As you are aware, the matter dates back to July 2019, and has been known [about] within the city administration for several years. It was, in fact, the subject of a formal directive issued in February 2021 by your predecessor, former Mayor Randall Williams,” Moya said.

“Despite this, during your tenure as Executive Mayor from March 2023 to September 2024, no steps were taken to address the issue or implement corrective measures, even after I raised it with you in July 2024 when I served as your Deputy Mayor.”

Moya continued, accusing former DA leaders of failing to act when they held power.

“I also note the recent public statements by your former MMC for Finance, Jacqui Uys, and your former Chief of Staff, Jordan Griffiths.

“Both held senior positions at the time and, like yourself, failed to act on this matter when they were in office.

“In light of this, the current calls for transparency appear disingenuous at best and politically opportunistic at worst.”
According to Moya, the overpayment was part of a once-off benchmarking-related adjustment.

“On July 5, 2019, while serving as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Executive Mayor, I received a once-off payment of R268 975.51.

“This formed part of a benchmarking-related salary adjustment applied to 78 senior officials across the city, following a change in the city’s municipal category and the associated salary bands,” she explained.

She said the payments were authorised by the Group Head of Human Capital Management, pending the outcome of a citywide benchmarking exercise, which was finalised in July 2020.

“Importantly, I had already resigned from the city on May 31, 2020, before the benchmarking process was completed.

“Any discrepancy between the amount paid in July 2019 and the final salary grading thus only became apparent after my departure, and I was not informed of the issue at the time.”

Moya said the directive issued by former mayor Williams in February 2021 instructed that cases involving officials no longer employed by the city be addressed under Section 32 of the Municipal Finance Management Act. “It has since become apparent that this instruction was never implemented.

“To the best of our knowledge, no report was submitted to the Mayoral Committee during the terms of either Mayor Williams or yourself, and no steps were taken to engage former employees, including myself, regarding repayment,” she said.

She added that she only learned of the alleged debt in July 2024 via an SMS from the city.

“I immediately contacted the city administration to request clarification, as I had no knowledge of any amount owed.

“I also shared the information with you at the time in your capacity as Executive Mayor.”

Moya said she has since followed up regularly and, after assuming office in October 2024, escalated the matter to the City Manager.

“This process remains ongoing, as each new batch of information has raised further questions, including why the issue remained unresolved for so long,” she said.

“Notwithstanding that no liability has been established against me, and that I remain confident in the integrity of my conduct, I have voluntarily authorised a monthly repayment to the City of Tshwane.

“I have taken this step in recognition that the office I hold demands a standard of leadership that is beyond reproach,” Moya concluded.

She stressed that preliminary findings show no evidence of wrongdoing by officials who received the payments in good faith, but added that the political and administrative handling of the matter ‘warrants scrutiny’.

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