Tshwane receives R91m boost in ongoing government debt recovery drive
The City of Tshwane has confirmed it has received R91 million in payments from the National Department of Public Works, marking a significant step forward in efforts to recover billions of rands owed to the municipality by government departments.
This comes after the launch of the TshwaneYaTima initiative, led by City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya, which is aimed at recovering more than R1.9 billion owed by national and provincial departments to help improve service delivery to residents.
The city said it “welcomes confirmation it received that the National Department of Public Works has processed payments totalling R91 million in respect of municipal accounts in arrears.”
“These payments relate to a range of government properties, including some sites visited by city officials in recent weeks as part of credit control and verification processes under the Tshwane Ya Tima initiative,” the city said.
The municipality said it views the engagement with Public Works as a positive sign.
“The city appreciates the engagement with the Department of Public Works to address these matters and views this as a constructive step towards resolving long-outstanding municipal accounts and strengthening intergovernmental cooperation.”
Tshwane is still owed more than R1.9 billion by various national and provincial departments — money officials say is critical for keeping services running.
“This places significant financial strain on the municipality and directly affects its ability to sustain service delivery.”
The city stressed that government departments are treated the same as any other debtor.
“For this reason, the city applies its credit control and debt-management processes with the same level of rigour across all account holders, including government institutions.”
Officials said the municipality will only reflect the funds once they have been fully processed.
“The city will update its records once the payments have been fully received and reconciled,” the city said.
Tshwane reiterated its commitment to working with other spheres of government but made it clear that accountability remains non-negotiable.
“Tshwane remains committed to working collaboratively with government departments to resolve outstanding accounts responsibly and in the interest of sustainable service delivery.”
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