GOOD Statement by Sarah Mabotsa,
GOOD City of Tshwane Councillor and MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning
23 October 2025
The massive rise in Tshwane’s water-tanker costs stems from two causes:
1. Costs of provision of water during numerous Rand Water shutdowns – a 36% increase in real water tanker spending for 2024/25 corresponded with the 58% increase in water outages during that year , and
2. Settlement of payments of almost R180 million that had accrued during the previous DA-led administration.
The DA’s culture of non-payment to suppliers is now well known. The previous DA government simply stopped paying for services. Like its R7 billion Eskom debt, it also failed to pay Rand Water and contractors. Our multi-party coalition inherited billions in unpaid invoices that are now being settled. This DA “austerity” was an illusion, it ruined suppliers, weakened the local economy, and left the City drowning in debt.
Frequent shutdowns by Rand Water have also forced large-scale use of water tankers, often at short notice. Major shutdowns in 2024 and 2025 affected vast regions, including Soshanguve, Mabopane, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and key hospitals that require an uninterrupted water supply. A 58% increase in recorded no water periods corresponded with a 36% increase in the real cost of water tanker provision for this last year.
Cilliers Brink’s administration must account for his failure to deliver services and the billions in unpaid debts his DA administration left behind, all while hosting lavish events instead of paying the City’s bills.
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