The City of Tshwane — South Africa's administrative capital — represents a unique case study in how political instability and procurement capture combine to destroy municipal governance. Unlike municipalities captured by a single party faction, Tshwane has been captured by the procurement system itself, with irregular expenditure continuing under both ANC and DA administrations.
Under ANC Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa (2010-2016), the City expanded its capital infrastructure programme significantly. The GladAfrica programme management contract — worth R300-370 million — was awarded to manage infrastructure projects. This became the most controversial procurement in Tshwane politics: forensic investigations and the SIU found irregularities in the award. The Tshwane Broadband Network (TBN) — a R1.8-2.3 billion municipal fibre project — was initiated with ambition but plagued by procurement irregularities and ultimately overtaken by private sector fibre operators before completion.
When the DA won Tshwane through a coalition in 2016, Mayor Solly Msimanga launched investigations into ANC-era contracts. But the DA coalition also accumulated irregular expenditure. GladAfrica's contract could not be easily terminated due to legal complications. The DA administration cycled through Msimanga, Stevens Mokgalapa (a brief, troubled tenure), and eventually Randall Williams — three mayors in five years. This political instability prevented any administration from implementing long-term reforms.
The AG consistently qualified Tshwane's financial statements. Cumulative irregular expenditure exceeded R12 billion across multiple financial years: R1.5B+ (2014/15), R2.3B+ (2015/16), R3.2B+ (2016/17), R2.9B+ (2017/18), and continuing in subsequent years. Supply chain management non-compliance, revenue management failures, and lack of consequence management were recurring findings.
The deadliest consequence was the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works failure. Rooiwal had been discharging sewage into the Apies River since 2008, contaminating Hammanskraal's water supply. The SAHRC found Tshwane in breach of its constitutional water obligation in 2021. Two years later, in May 2023, a cholera outbreak killed 23 people in Hammanskraal. The disaster was foreseeable, documented, and preventable — but 15 years of infrastructure neglect under both ANC and DA administrations ensured it happened.