When we cast our votes for local government, we hope for change. We hope for visible improvements in our daily lives clean water, reliable electricity, safe streets, maintained roads, honest leadership and responsiveness. For too long the residents of Tshwane have waited and watched as promises piled up while service delivery lagged behind.
Today, I believe we are witnessing a tangible shift, thanks to ActionSA’s leadership under its mayor in Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya…this is a moment worth celebrating.
First, some context. In October 2024, ActionSA’s own Dr Nasiphi Moya was elected Executive Mayor of Tshwane. That election represented more than a change of guard, it most definitely symbolised hope. A new party, born in 2020, had worked its way into the municipal equation and was now entrusted with one of Gauteng’s major metros. ActionSA’s entry into leadership confronted entrenched patterns of governance and suggested a fresh path.
From the earliest statements of Mayor Moya, the tone was clear that this would be a government of inclusion and delivery, not rhetorical politics. That promise resonates deeply when one recalls how many of our communities especially in previously neglected areas have been sidelined for years.
While the full picture is still emerging, the early signs are encouraging. For example, the commitment to treat all wards, townships and affluent suburbs alike with the same urgency speaks volumes. From pothole repairs to streetlights being fixed, these may sound like a small fix, but to a commuter doing a daily slog through township roads those potholes mean time lost, car damage, anxiety. Recently a lady posted on X that street lights in her area haven’t worked for six years and they were fixed a week ago and the Mayor responded positively in that tweet, saying one at a time. That is very applaudable and shows how in tune the mayor is with residents.
Service delivery is at the core of what citizens demand. ActionSA’s leadership in Tshwane has signalled that neglect will no longer pass for governance. The mayor’s pledge to “fix the roads, keep the lights on and give our residents clean water and make Tshwane safe” sets a measurable and tangible standard. Unlike grandiose vows of transformation, these are the nuts and bolts of municipal life.
Another critical dimension is accountability and fairness. ActionSA in Tshwane has sought to make clear it is not just the party of a certain demographic or area but a government for all Tshwane residents. Mayor Moya emphasised her role as “a mayor for all four‑million Tshwane residents,” not simply “an ActionSA mayor.” That kind of framing matters because it signals a departure from narrow patronage politics and an embrace of broad‑based service for all.
So let me drill down to what this all means in practical terms, and why, from my vantage point, ActionSA deserves credit:
Breaking the cycle of inertia. For too long, municipal services in Tshwane have languished under coalition gridlock or legacy failures. The arrival of a new party at the helm shakes up the status quo. It sends a message to administrators that doing things the same old way will not be tolerated. It resets expectations not just externally, but internally in the city’s bureaucracy.
Visible, rather than abstract, improvement. Residents don’t vote for strategy papers they vote for clean water, lights that work, roads that are safe, and rubbish that gets collected. ActionSA’s leadership has picked precisely those tangible deliverables as central. Having a mayor who publicly commits to everyday essentials elevates them from back office concerns to frontline priorities.
Inclusivity and equality in service. The emphasis that the previously disadvantaged deserve the same quality of service is crucial. In the past, many townships and informal settlements have been relegated to “phase two” of the rollout or seen as lower priority. To loudly declare that all areas matter is more than good messaging, lays the groundwork for institutional change.
By taking office, ActionSA in Tshwane now carries the responsibility of delivery. That in itself is a step forward for South African politics. Too many opposition parties enjoy critique but recoil at governing. This party is governing, and thus it must perform, and that itself is welcome.
Of course, I would be naïve if I claimed the job is done. Many problems remain: financial instability, procurement backlogs, infrastructure backlog, and the lingering shadow of past mis‑management. Some have raised concerns about the party’s coalitional dynamics or its alliances. But in politics, the measure is not perfect promise but progress.
While many challenges remain, I believe we are witnessing a turning point. For the citizens of Tshwane especially those who have waited decades for change, ActionSA’s stewardship under Mayor Moya offers hope that government can be responsive, that justice in service is possible, and that politics can be redirected toward dignity, clean living and meaningful urban life.
In the context of South Africa’s broader democratic journey, this moment matters. It is a reminder that new parties when they take responsibility and choose to deliver, can alter entrenched patterns of governance. It is proof that local government still matters deeply. And it is a signal to voters across the country: demand more, settle for less no longer.
So today, I say well‑done, ActionSA. Keep your promise. Make the roads safe. Light the streets. Collect the rubbish. Serve every ward. Build the city…, for every citizen. Because service is not a favour it is a right. And when it is delivered, trust in government is rebuilt, hope is restored, and the real work of transformation begins.
Service is not a favour, it’s a right: how ActionSA is restoring trust in Tshwane
When we cast our votes for local government, we hope for change. We hope for visible improvements in our daily lives clean water, reliable electricity, safe streets, maintained roads, honest leadership and responsiveness. For too long the residents of Tshwane have waited and watched as promises piled up while service delivery lagged behind.
Today, I believe we are witnessing a tangible shift, thanks to ActionSA’s leadership under its mayor in Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya…this is a moment worth celebrating.
First, some context. In October 2024, ActionSA’s own Dr Nasiphi Moya was elected Executive Mayor of Tshwane. That election represented more than a change of guard, it most definitely symbolised hope. A new party, born in 2020, had worked its way into the municipal equation and was now entrusted with one of Gauteng’s major metros. ActionSA’s entry into leadership confronted entrenched patterns of governance and suggested a fresh path.
From the earliest statements of Mayor Moya, the tone was clear that this would be a government of inclusion and delivery, not rhetorical politics. That promise resonates deeply when one recalls how many of our communities especially in previously neglected areas have been sidelined for years.
While the full picture is still emerging, the early signs are encouraging. For example, the commitment to treat all wards, townships and affluent suburbs alike with the same urgency speaks volumes. From pothole repairs to streetlights being fixed, these may sound like a small fix, but to a commuter doing a daily slog through township roads those potholes mean time lost, car damage, anxiety. Recently a lady posted on X that street lights in her area haven’t worked for six years and they were fixed a week ago and the Mayor responded positively in that tweet, saying one at a time. That is very applaudable and shows how in tune the mayor is with residents.
Service delivery is at the core of what citizens demand. ActionSA’s leadership in Tshwane has signalled that neglect will no longer pass for governance. The mayor’s pledge to “fix the roads, keep the lights on and give our residents clean water and make Tshwane safe” sets a measurable and tangible standard. Unlike grandiose vows of transformation, these are the nuts and bolts of municipal life.
Another critical dimension is accountability and fairness. ActionSA in Tshwane has sought to make clear it is not just the party of a certain demographic or area but a government for all Tshwane residents. Mayor Moya emphasised her role as “a mayor for all four‑million Tshwane residents,” not simply “an ActionSA mayor.” That kind of framing matters because it signals a departure from narrow patronage politics and an embrace of broad‑based service for all.
So let me drill down to what this all means in practical terms, and why, from my vantage point, ActionSA deserves credit:
Breaking the cycle of inertia. For too long, municipal services in Tshwane have languished under coalition gridlock or legacy failures. The arrival of a new party at the helm shakes up the status quo. It sends a message to administrators that doing things the same old way will not be tolerated. It resets expectations not just externally, but internally in the city’s bureaucracy.
Visible, rather than abstract, improvement. Residents don’t vote for strategy papers they vote for clean water, lights that work, roads that are safe, and rubbish that gets collected. ActionSA’s leadership has picked precisely those tangible deliverables as central. Having a mayor who publicly commits to everyday essentials elevates them from back office concerns to frontline priorities.
Inclusivity and equality in service. The emphasis that the previously disadvantaged deserve the same quality of service is crucial. In the past, many townships and informal settlements have been relegated to “phase two” of the rollout or seen as lower priority. To loudly declare that all areas matter is more than good messaging, lays the groundwork for institutional change.
By taking office, ActionSA in Tshwane now carries the responsibility of delivery. That in itself is a step forward for South African politics. Too many opposition parties enjoy critique but recoil at governing. This party is governing, and thus it must perform, and that itself is welcome.
Of course, I would be naïve if I claimed the job is done. Many problems remain: financial instability, procurement backlogs, infrastructure backlog, and the lingering shadow of past mis‑management. Some have raised concerns about the party’s coalitional dynamics or its alliances. But in politics, the measure is not perfect promise but progress.
While many challenges remain, I believe we are witnessing a turning point. For the citizens of Tshwane especially those who have waited decades for change, ActionSA’s stewardship under Mayor Moya offers hope that government can be responsive, that justice in service is possible, and that politics can be redirected toward dignity, clean living and meaningful urban life.
In the context of South Africa’s broader democratic journey, this moment matters. It is a reminder that new parties when they take responsibility and choose to deliver, can alter entrenched patterns of governance. It is proof that local government still matters deeply. And it is a signal to voters across the country: demand more, settle for less no longer.
So today, I say well‑done, ActionSA. Keep your promise. Make the roads safe. Light the streets. Collect the rubbish. Serve every ward. Build the city…, for every citizen. Because service is not a favour it is a right. And when it is delivered, trust in government is rebuilt, hope is restored, and the real work of transformation begins.