ANC-Linked Firms Allegedly Pocket R31.7M During Tshwane Water Crisis

• Two companies linked to senior ANC figures in Tshwane allegedly received R31.7 million in the city’s R777 million emergency water-trucking programme
• This, despite the companies allegedly owning no water tankers needed to provide water to struggling residents
• The revelations raise serious questions about procurement processes and how these contracts were awarded and executed

TSHWANE— Residents in parts of the City of Tshwane are waiting days for water deliveries, yet an investigation has uncovered revelations that two companies linked to senior figures in the African National Congress received R31.7 million from the city’s R777 million emergency water-trucking programme.

This, despite the companies not owning a single water tanker.

Investigation uncovers the water tanker scam

According to an investigation by the Sunday Times, a report found that Best Enough and Gofa-One, two companies linked to ANC figures, secured the contracts as communities across the metro struggle with ongoing water shortages.

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The companies are linked to Eugene “Bonzo” Modise, Tshwane’s deputy mayor and finance MMC, and Rhulani James Shelenge, the ANC’s Tshwane regional treasurer

The revelations raise serious questions about how the companies were awarded the lucrative work and how the water deliveries were meant to be carried out.

South Africans debated over the revelations

@Constitution_94 said:

"Was the water delivered or not? That's the question, not who owns what!? Surely the City has its own evaluation criteria, which weren't challenged during the period of tendering."

@MabhedlaKa wrote:

"City of Tshwane spent R777 million on water tanker services in the 2025 financial year. The city originally budgeted R320 million, meaning hundreds of millions were overspent. @nasiphim, What happened here?"

@TheJustCaused stated:

"It's just another project where the ANC resets itself."

@VoteWiseNetwork said:

"You get what you voted for. ASA and the ANC are destroying Tshwane."

@Mirabwi1 asked:

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"Did the technical evaluation criteria/functionality require them to own tankers?"

EFF welcomes the SIU investigation into water tanker tenders

Briefly News has been informed that the EFF has raised concerns over the growing reliance on water tanker services in the city. Originally introduced as a temporary emergency measure to assist residents during infrastructure breakdowns, water tankers have now evolved into a permanent and highly lucrative tender system.

Critics argue that this model not only undermines the municipality’s ability to provide sustainable water services but also creates a perverse incentive for infrastructure to fail.

"When municipalities spend hundreds of millions on tankers instead of investing in pipes, reservoirs and the proper maintenance of water infrastructure, the inevitable result is a collapsing system and communities that remain permanently dependent on private contractors," the party said.

ANC-linked company blamed for Hammanskraal cholera outbreak

In a related article, Briefly News reported that controversial tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi was linked to the deadly cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal when his companies were awarded tenders to refurbish the Rooiwal Water Treatment Plant, but never completed the project in 2023. The devastating cholera outbreak claimed approximately 22 lives so far and left 165 people hospitalised.

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Hammarskraal residents give the city a deadline to fix water issues

In 2024, Hammanskraal residents gave the city a new deadline to fix their water treatment plant. They said the government has until 29 May, the date of South Africa's general elections, to ensure the plant is fully operational. This comes after the Department of Water and Sanitation and the City of Tshwane announced initiatives to tackle water pollution caused by the Rooiwal wastewater treatment works in Hammanskraal.

Briefly News also reported that a video shared by Welle SA shows several people with buckets gathered around a water truck, trying to fill their containers. The footage appears to have been taken in Tembisa, a township in Gauteng, based on the hashtags used in the post. Uploaded on 3 February 2026, the video captures long queues, with many people jostling to get closer to the back of the truck as they wait for water.

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Source: Briefly News