LASCA leader Tshepo Mahlangu has claimed that the City of Tshwane is defrauding residents by continuing to collect revenue based on a fraudulent “data book” originally drafted by a previous CFO and carried forward by the newly suspended CFO.
In an interview ahead of the State of the Capital Address to be delivered by Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, Mahlangu described the situation in the City of Tshwane as a “mess” and “back to square one.” He pointed to visible problems including potholes, non-functional street lights and traffic robots, and inadequate service delivery across the metropolitan area, which is the second-largest metro in South Africa by area size.
Mahlangu, who leads the Lotus Gardens, Atteridgeville and Soshanguve (LASCA) civic association, said residents are dissatisfied with what he called a politically motivated cleaning operation near homes, describing it as mere optics rather than meaningful improvement. He questioned where billions of rands collected from residents through a programme he labelled “demo” — initiated by the executive mayor — are being spent, arguing that there is no visible value for money.
Central to his criticism is the alleged use of a fraudulent “data book.” According to Mahlangu, the previous CFO was expelled by the city manager for presenting a wrong book to the Auditor-General. He claimed the newly suspended CFO (suspended yesterday) took the same fraudulent document and continued using it to collect revenue from residents.
“We warned them… you are in possession of a wrong template. You cannot collect revenue based on a fraudulent document,” Mahlangu stated. He accused the municipality of defrauding residents of Tshwane and operating as a “cash cow” through coalition arrangements that he said are not properly regulated in the constitution, leading to collusion against residents.
Mahlangu further alleged that the revenue collection drive relies on this flawed data book, and that claims of debt relief or “scrapping debts” are not factual. He described the city as a “crime scene” where finance and credit control departments manipulate data, and called for a total overhaul of those departments, including the firing of what he termed “criminals” within them. He also criticised the high vacancy rate of 41% in the city, noting that funds are instead directed to consulting firms for tasks such as disconnecting services and estimating bills.
On the ground, Mahlangu reported ongoing service failures. In Atteridgeville, for example, residents in his ward experienced water shortages two days prior, even during heavy rain, with supply only returning the previous evening. He highlighted dilapidated infrastructure, including cemeteries in townships where graves and tombstones are overgrown because maintenance is not prioritised. “Their mandate is to collect revenue,” he said bluntly.
While acknowledging some positive steps — such as the mayor’s actions in demolishing illegal buildings and efforts to remove illegal hawkers — Mahlangu said residents will not “celebrate mediocrity.” He rejected the mayor’s reported comments accusing township residents of not wanting to pay for services, calling them insulting, and insisted on receiving value for money.
Mahlangu expressed suspicion that collected revenue may be used to boost political campaigns ahead of the 2026 local government elections. He warned that coalition partners, including smaller parties, may not fully understand the issues they support, and predicted that voters will “dilute their power” at the ballot box rather than through protests. “We are not going to march anymore,” he said. “We are going to take care of them there.”
He also referenced the ongoing Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, hoping it would address the data book issue linked to the office of the CFO, and called for the complete scrapping of bills due to the alleged fraud in the data book. “Why did they fire the previous MMC CFO for this fraud in that book? Why are they not cleaning this mess?”
The interview comes as the City of Tshwane prepares for Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya’s State of the Capital Address later in the day, which is expected to outline the administration’s vision and progress in a coalition government environment.
Mahlangu emphasised that residents are “plugged to the ground” and that social media or official statements do not reflect the reality they experience daily. He maintained that basic services remain elusive despite revenue collection efforts.
