Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya says South Africa needs a full commission of inquiry into the state of local government.
She argues that widespread municipal failures mirror the patterns of deep dysfunction emerging from the Madlanga Commission’s hearings.
Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, Moya described the municipal sector as a “mafia state” where senior officials avoid accountability while communities suffer the consequences.
A CALL FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION: MAYOR SAYS MUNICIPAL FAILURES REFLECT A NATIONAL CRISIS
Moya said watching the Madlanga Commission, which is probing corruption, criminal syndicates and political interference within the police service, prosecutors and the justice system, forced her to reflect on what similar scrutiny would expose within municipalities.
She said that although the Commission focuses on the criminal-justice sector, many of the failures highlighted in its hearings resemble the patterns seen across local government.
“Every time I watch the Madlanga Commission, and they talk about TMPD and the Accounting Officer, I think we’re going to need a commission for local government,” she said.
Moya added that municipalities across the country are becoming graveyards of abandoned projects, wasteful expenditure and collapsed service delivery.
“If you look at the amount wasted on assets under construction, on irregular and wasteful expenditure, and in communities where projects were started but not completed, it shows why progress has been so minimal,” she said.
She warned that senior officials often escape consequences for poor decisions that directly harm residents.
“The sphere that is supposed to be delivering has been turned into a mafia state,” she said.
TSHWANE’S OWN TROUBLES REINFORCE THE CALL
Moya said Tshwane’s recent history underscores the urgency for such an inquiry.
The metro nearly collapsed in recent years due to political instability, financial strain and allegations of widespread administrative failures.
“Tshwane is one of those cases. This city was on its knees,” Moya said. “Imagine collapsing a city responsible for more than four million people.”
Her comments come as the municipality faces fresh controversy involving Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise, who is accused of benefiting from a multimillion-rand security contract while serving as a councillor.
The DA has laid fraud charges against him this week, alleging he hid his ties to the company involved.
ActionSA, however, says the move is politically motivated and intended to distract from the DA’s own failures during its time in office.
MAYOR ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION: ‘WE MUST ACT BEFORE THIS HAPPENS AGAIN’
Moya said the Madlanga Commission should serve as the country’s final warning.
“If this is not the final reminder that we must act and do something about it, then we will repeat the same mistakes,” she told the broadcaster.
She added her administration is working to hold officials accountable and rebuild public trust.
“People ask what will happen to the millions who rely on the city,” she said. “That is what we are working on.”
