PRETORIA - The DA in Tshwane claims a cartel controls security, water and waste tenders in the metro.
This follows an internal investigation after officials were implicated at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry probing allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system.
On Tuesday, the DA held a media briefing to unpack its submission to the commission, detailing findings from its own investigation into alleged tender corruption and fraud implicating senior members of Tshwane’s government and the ANC in the region.
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According to DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink, individuals at the centre of the alleged cartel include members of the executive and senior ANC figures.
Among those implicated is Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise, against whom the DA says it has lodged a criminal complaint.
Brink claims that Modise allegedly had undeclared interests in a water tankering contract, alongside the ANC’s treasurer in Tshwane.
Concerns around supply contacts in the metro are not new. Brink says the DA has previously flagged two major areas of expenditure – security services and water tankers.
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He says after the takeover of the ANC-led coalition in 2024, its first budget adjustment in 2025 significantly increased spending in these areas, allegedly at the expense of infrastructure and basic service delivery. He says water tanker expenditure increased from R140-million in 2024 to R777-million in 2025.
Most of the additional spend was unauthorised and unbudgeted for, Brink adds.
He says the DA has long suspected that the spending patterns around water tankers and security companies are not isolated issues, but rather a coordinated effort to extract money from the City of Tshwane for the benefit of individuals connected to the ANC.
The ANC was quick to distance its deployees from the allegations. Greater Tshwane spokesperson Joel Masilela denied claims that party members award tenders to each other within the City of Tshwane.
The ANC wants the DA to give evidence supporting its allegations.
In the meantime, Masilela said they have also launched investigations on their said.