Note to editor: These were the remarks made by ActionSA Tshwane Caucus Leader and Executive Mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, during the launch of ActionSA’s economic transformation agenda. This launch was held at the Apartheid Museum today.
President Mashaba,
Leadership of ActionSA,
Members of the media,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
It is an honour to join you at this important gathering, focussed on one of the most urgent and deeply personal tasks of our time: real, tangible transformation, especially for those who remain excluded from our economy and our progress.
I speak to you today as the Executive Mayor of our capital city. Tshwane is a city rich in history and full of promise but still marked by the deep scars of the past.
The old divides of inequality are not just visible across Tshwane, they are felt in the daily lives of our people.
As I stand here today, many of my city’s residents still wait for water tankers. Some still live surrounded by sewage. Others go to bed each night in informal settlements without electricity, without jobs, and without hope.
Their lives reflect a country where too many still wait for the fruits of freedom.
The truth is, inequality in South Africa continues to run along the same racial, spatial, and economic lines it did before 1994. While we have made undeniable progress, we must also be honest: the city I lead today still bears the legacy of unequal investment, unequal access, and unequal opportunity.
Our unemployment rate in Tshwane currently stands at 37.8%, with youth unemployment even higher. Poverty remains widespread, particularly in regions like Region 1 and Region 6, where service backlogs and historical neglect are most visible.
Informal settlements still sit on the periphery, not only of our maps, but of our plans and budgets. Townships remain far from centres of growth, disconnected from decent services and cut off from opportunity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We cannot speak meaningfully about economic or social justice when those who live closest to hardship remain the furthest from help.
I grew up in a village in rural Eastern Cape, where mud schools were just a way of life. As someone who comes from humble beginnings, I understand what it means to live without access to basic services and opportunities that others often take for granted.
I share this not out of resentment, but out of a deep sense of responsibility – the responsibility to ensure that every South African has a fair chance to live a life of dignity, security, and upward mobility.
I count myself fortunate to have benefitted from the opportunities ushered in by our new democratic dispensation in 1994. Most importantly, the chance to pursue a quality education and to empower myself through learning.
But as I stand here today and reflect on the residents I serve, I must admit that I remain the exception, not the norm.
In fact, too many people from the same village where I grew up are still excluded from the mainstream economy, still waiting for the doors of opportunity to open.
That is what I believe we have a duty to change. Because the noble promise of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment has yet to reach many of its intended beneficiaries, and that cannot be acceptable.
Transformation must be driven from the ground up. To truly change our society, we must expand opportunity at the grassroots level, where the need is greatest and the impact is most immediate.
Transformation will not be achieved by speeches or policy statements alone. It will be achieved in cities – where most South Africans now live – and in the everyday work of making those cities fairer, more inclusive, and more responsive to people’s needs.
That is the vision the government I am privileged to lead is pursuing in Tshwane.
Since taking office, I have been clear: we must build a city that works – not just for those who already have, but for those who still wait. This means transforming how we invest, how we budget, and how we measure success.
Central to this is the implementation of a bold yet practical Economic Revitalisation Strategy to grow Tshwane’s economy to 3.9% by 2029.
This strategy effectively gives expression to this party’s call for truly Inclusive Economic Empowerment (IEE). A policy proposal that advocates for the inclusion of all people who have been left out of the economy since 1994 and before.
But this is not about numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about jobs. It is about dignity. It is about people like a young woman from Hammanskraal, who dreams of finding work in a city that believes in her future.
Rooted in the principles of building an inclusive economy, this revitalisation strategy focuses on six pillars:
– Investment attraction
– Infrastructure delivery
– Township and SMME development
– Innovation and skills
– Land and property activation
– A more supportive regulatory environment
We are unlocking development corridors, fast-tracking high-impact projects, and putting city-owned assets to productive use – from Wonderboom Airport to the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market and the Rooiwal Power Station.
We are not only working to attract investment, we are working to ensure it happens more equitably. For too long, only certain regions of Tshwane have benefitted from growth, while others have been left behind.
The seven regions of our city were not created equal, and that inequality continues to shape people’s access to opportunity. That is precisely why true transformation must be both economic and spatial.
We are rebalancing our city’s resources by budgeting based on need, not just proximity to wealth or power. This means deliberately investing in communities that have been historically underserved. It is not about favouring one area over another but about correcting the imbalance and giving every resident a fair chance at a better life.
That is why our Integrated Development Plan and community Izimbizo processes prioritise the voices of townships and informal settlements. It is why our infrastructure budgets now include areas like Soshanguve, Mamelodi, and Ga-Rankuwa.
And it is why we are investing in small businesses. Not for appearances, but because they are the heartbeat of local economies and the engine of future job creation.
We are formalising spaza shops, supporting co-ops, expanding youth-owned enterprises, and opening new business centres in underserved communities.
Because equality of outcome is not something the state can deliver. But equality of opportunity is. And that must be our mission.
We must build a city where it does not matter where you were born, what language you speak, or which part of Tshwane you come from – everyone should have a fair shot.
Ladies and gentlemen,
If transformation is to mean anything, it must show up in people’s lives. In a job. In a working tap and a flushing toilet. In a functional school. In a clinic that remains open after dark.
Transformation cannot be the language of elites. It must be the lived experience of ordinary people.
Let me close with this: the City of Tshwane cannot fix inequality alone. But we can lead by example.
We can be a place where economic justice is not theoretical but practical. Where spatial redress is not rhetorical but real. Where no resident feels invisible.
A place where every resident matters, where every community deserves investment, and where real change starts closest to the people.
That is how cities can lead transformation.
That is how cities can honour democracy.
And that is how cities can change lives.
I thank you.
From Exclusion to Opportunity: A City’s Duty to Deliver Dignity
Note to editor: These were the remarks made by ActionSA Tshwane Caucus Leader and Executive Mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, during the launch of ActionSA’s economic transformation agenda. This launch was held at the Apartheid Museum today.
President Mashaba,
Leadership of ActionSA,
Members of the media,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
It is an honour to join you at this important gathering, focussed on one of the most urgent and deeply personal tasks of our time: real, tangible transformation, especially for those who remain excluded from our economy and our progress.
I speak to you today as the Executive Mayor of our capital city. Tshwane is a city rich in history and full of promise but still marked by the deep scars of the past.
The old divides of inequality are not just visible across Tshwane, they are felt in the daily lives of our people.
As I stand here today, many of my city’s residents still wait for water tankers. Some still live surrounded by sewage. Others go to bed each night in informal settlements without electricity, without jobs, and without hope.
Their lives reflect a country where too many still wait for the fruits of freedom.
The truth is, inequality in South Africa continues to run along the same racial, spatial, and economic lines it did before 1994. While we have made undeniable progress, we must also be honest: the city I lead today still bears the legacy of unequal investment, unequal access, and unequal opportunity.
Our unemployment rate in Tshwane currently stands at 37.8%, with youth unemployment even higher. Poverty remains widespread, particularly in regions like Region 1 and Region 6, where service backlogs and historical neglect are most visible.
Informal settlements still sit on the periphery, not only of our maps, but of our plans and budgets. Townships remain far from centres of growth, disconnected from decent services and cut off from opportunity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We cannot speak meaningfully about economic or social justice when those who live closest to hardship remain the furthest from help.
I grew up in a village in rural Eastern Cape, where mud schools were just a way of life. As someone who comes from humble beginnings, I understand what it means to live without access to basic services and opportunities that others often take for granted.
I share this not out of resentment, but out of a deep sense of responsibility – the responsibility to ensure that every South African has a fair chance to live a life of dignity, security, and upward mobility.
I count myself fortunate to have benefitted from the opportunities ushered in by our new democratic dispensation in 1994. Most importantly, the chance to pursue a quality education and to empower myself through learning.
But as I stand here today and reflect on the residents I serve, I must admit that I remain the exception, not the norm.
In fact, too many people from the same village where I grew up are still excluded from the mainstream economy, still waiting for the doors of opportunity to open.
That is what I believe we have a duty to change. Because the noble promise of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment has yet to reach many of its intended beneficiaries, and that cannot be acceptable.
Transformation must be driven from the ground up. To truly change our society, we must expand opportunity at the grassroots level, where the need is greatest and the impact is most immediate.
Transformation will not be achieved by speeches or policy statements alone. It will be achieved in cities – where most South Africans now live – and in the everyday work of making those cities fairer, more inclusive, and more responsive to people’s needs.
That is the vision the government I am privileged to lead is pursuing in Tshwane.
Since taking office, I have been clear: we must build a city that works – not just for those who already have, but for those who still wait. This means transforming how we invest, how we budget, and how we measure success.
Central to this is the implementation of a bold yet practical Economic Revitalisation Strategy to grow Tshwane’s economy to 3.9% by 2029.
This strategy effectively gives expression to this party’s call for truly Inclusive Economic Empowerment (IEE). A policy proposal that advocates for the inclusion of all people who have been left out of the economy since 1994 and before.
But this is not about numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about jobs. It is about dignity. It is about people like a young woman from Hammanskraal, who dreams of finding work in a city that believes in her future.
Rooted in the principles of building an inclusive economy, this revitalisation strategy focuses on six pillars:
– Investment attraction
– Infrastructure delivery
– Township and SMME development
– Innovation and skills
– Land and property activation
– A more supportive regulatory environment
We are unlocking development corridors, fast-tracking high-impact projects, and putting city-owned assets to productive use – from Wonderboom Airport to the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market and the Rooiwal Power Station.
We are not only working to attract investment, we are working to ensure it happens more equitably. For too long, only certain regions of Tshwane have benefitted from growth, while others have been left behind.
The seven regions of our city were not created equal, and that inequality continues to shape people’s access to opportunity. That is precisely why true transformation must be both economic and spatial.
We are rebalancing our city’s resources by budgeting based on need, not just proximity to wealth or power. This means deliberately investing in communities that have been historically underserved. It is not about favouring one area over another but about correcting the imbalance and giving every resident a fair chance at a better life.
That is why our Integrated Development Plan and community Izimbizo processes prioritise the voices of townships and informal settlements. It is why our infrastructure budgets now include areas like Soshanguve, Mamelodi, and Ga-Rankuwa.
And it is why we are investing in small businesses. Not for appearances, but because they are the heartbeat of local economies and the engine of future job creation.
We are formalising spaza shops, supporting co-ops, expanding youth-owned enterprises, and opening new business centres in underserved communities.
Because equality of outcome is not something the state can deliver. But equality of opportunity is. And that must be our mission.
We must build a city where it does not matter where you were born, what language you speak, or which part of Tshwane you come from – everyone should have a fair shot.
Ladies and gentlemen,
If transformation is to mean anything, it must show up in people’s lives. In a job. In a working tap and a flushing toilet. In a functional school. In a clinic that remains open after dark.
Transformation cannot be the language of elites. It must be the lived experience of ordinary people.
Let me close with this: the City of Tshwane cannot fix inequality alone. But we can lead by example.
We can be a place where economic justice is not theoretical but practical. Where spatial redress is not rhetorical but real. Where no resident feels invisible.
A place where every resident matters, where every community deserves investment, and where real change starts closest to the people.
That is how cities can lead transformation.
That is how cities can honour democracy.
And that is how cities can change lives.
I thank you.