Tshwane Coalition Partner Pretends to Be the Opposition

ActionSA notes the decision by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), our coalition partner in the City of Tshwane, to announce its intention to open a criminal case against Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and the City Manager over the failure to chlorinate water at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant.

The EFF is entitled to demand accountability. What it cannot credibly do is pretend to be an opposition party in a government in which it serves.

Since October 2024, the EFF has governed Tshwane alongside ActionSA and other parties in the Multiparty Coalition Government. It currently holds two important portfolios in the Mayoral Committee: Environment and Agriculture Management, led by Ald Obakeng Ramabodu, and Health, led by Cllr Tshegofatso Mashabela.

These portfolios are directly relevant to the broader crisis unfolding in Bronkhorstspruit. The joint intergovernmental statement of 19 October identified serious sewage contamination of the Bronkhorstspruit River and failures to warn residents about the risks associated with unsafe drinking water. The response has also required extensive public-health surveillance, community awareness and environmental investigations.

While responsibility for the operational failure to chlorinate water falls within the water and sanitation function, the wider public-health and environmental dimensions of this crisis raise legitimate questions about political oversight across the administration, including within the portfolios led by the EFF’s own representatives.

Yet neither of the EFF’s MMCs has accompanied the Executive Mayor and senior City management during their engagements with affected communities this week. While their departments continue contributing to the response, questions remain about the personal involvement of the EFF’s political representatives in supporting these efforts on the ground.

Instead, the EFF has announced its intention to lay criminal charges against the Executive Mayor and City Manager, promoting the event through election campaign material featuring its mayoral candidate, Omphile Maotwe, alongside an explicit appeal to vote for the party.

The EFF is entitled to scrutinise the administration, but it must also account for its own participation in the executive. Holding seats in the Mayoral Committee carries responsibilities that cannot be set aside when the government confronts a crisis.

Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya has participated in the coordinated response with national and provincial government, engaged affected communities and overseen measures to provide safe alternative drinking water while the underlying problems at the plant are addressed.

The infrastructure challenges at Bronkhorstspruit are longstanding, as are the City’s efforts to address them. The refurbishment project has featured in municipal capital budgets since at least 2022/23, with approximately R20.8 million in actual expenditure recorded during 2025/26.

A further R57 million has been approved for the current financial year, with R30 million planned for 2027/28. These allocations demonstrate the continuing financial commitment to rehabilitating the plant, although substantial work remains to restore its reliability.

ActionSA recognises the seriousness of the water contamination and the need to establish accountability for the interruption in chlorination and the failure to warn affected residents timeously. The Chief Operations Officer has been tasked with investigating these matters, and appropriate consequences must follow wherever negligence or misconduct is established.

Residents are entitled to accountability from everyone entrusted with governing Tshwane, including the EFF. If the party believes the administration has failed residents so fundamentally that criminal charges are warranted, it must also explain how its own representatives have discharged their responsibilities within that administration.

The EFF cannot have one foot in government and another on the opposition benches whenever political convenience demands it.

ActionSA remains committed to supporting the provision of safe alternative drinking water, the rehabilitation of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant and the measures necessary to prevent a recurrence.

Our responsibility is to ensure that the people of Bronkhorstspruit receive the safe, reliable water supply they deserve.

ActionSA Dr. Nasiphi Moya (Deputy President / Tshwane Mayor) Academic Background: Holds a PhD in Political Science and is recognized for her technical expertise in governance. Current Power: As of late 2024, she made history by becoming the Executive Mayor of Tshwane (Pretoria), leading a coalition that displaced the DA in the capital. Strategic Value: She represents the party’s shift toward young, highly educated, and technically competent leadership.