Note to editor: These were the remarks made by ActionSA Tshwane Caucus Leader & Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, at ActionSA’s Local Government Awareness Campaign launched today in Alexandra, Johannesburg. She joined ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba, and members of the Senate and Gauteng Provincial Leadership.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Residents of Alexandra,
Colleagues, and
Fellow South Africans,
I am pleased to be here with you today as we launch ActionSA’s national campaign to fix local government.
This is a campaign rooted in our shared belief that every community, from Alexandra to Atteridgeville, deserves dignity, delivery, and a government that shows up for them.
We are here because local government in South Africa is broken. And unless we fix it, South Africa will remain broken too.
Across our country, municipalities have become places of despair.
Potholes turn roads into obstacle courses.
Water taps run dry while leaks gush for weeks.
Refuse piles up and streetlights don’t work.
In too many communities, including right here in Alexandra, people have been forced to live without the most basic services.
It is unthinkable that the dignity of residents has become a luxury 31 years into democracy.
This is a failure of administration and a betrayal of the very purpose of government.
Local government is meant to be the level of government closest to the people. Yet, in practice, it has become the level furthest from them.
A distant bureaucracy filled with excuses, corruption, and cadre deployment.
It is the poor, the unemployed, and the voiceless who suffer most.
ActionSA was formed because we refused to accept this as normal.
We were tired of promises. Tired of politicians who only arrive during elections.
Tired of leaders who are only accountable to their party bosses and not to the communities they serve.
That is why this campaign is a mission to restore people’s faith in the democratic project.
To prove that government can work, and that it can care.
As Executive Mayor of Tshwane, I know how deep the rot runs.
When we took office in October 2024, we inherited a city in financial crisis, with services collapsing and communities demoralised.
Budgets were unfunded.
Infrastructure was crumbling.
Trust was gone.
But we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.
In just over 7 months, we passed the City’s first fully funded, pro-poor budget in years which finally put Tshwane on a path to financial recovery.
We launched the Tshwane Economic Revitalisation Strategy to stimulate growth in tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, and the township economy in pursuit of 3.9% economic growth by 2029.
We introduced a plan to settle our R6.7 billion Eskom debt, stabilising electricity supply and mitigating energy instability to the best of our ability.
We restored water supply in places like Hammanskraal where people had been forced to live without clean water for nearly two decades.
We have fixed over 20 000 streetlights.
We rolled out clean-up campaigns and fixed roads.
We took the first real steps to Reclaim Our City from lawlessness, cable theft, and illegal land grabs.
We also launched the Tshwane Imbizo which gives residents an unmediated voice in governance, because we believe the people must come first.
Let me be clear: we are not claiming perfection.
There is a long road ahead.
But we are proving, every day, that where ActionSA governs, things can get better.
And that is why we are launching this campaign nationwide. Because Tshwane should not be the exception.
Every city and town in South Africa deserves leadership that is ethical, decisive and accountable.
We believe in what we call Service Deliverism: the simple idea that government must be judged not by what it promises, but by what it delivers.
That communities deserve clean, safe streets. Functioning clinics. Reliable electricity and water. Jobs that restore pride. A government that spends money on people, not perks.
We believe in putting power back in the hands of the people where it belongs.
So let me say this to the residents of Alexandra and communities across South Africa: you are not powerless.
You have a voice.
You have a vote.
And you have a choice.
If your area is filthy, unsafe, or forgotten, it does not have to stay that way. You can help fix it by standing with ActionSA.
Tell your neighbours about ActionSA.
Hold leaders to account.
Local government is not a sideshow.
It is the arena in which service delivery must take centre stage.
And if we fix it, we can rebuild trust, create jobs, restore dignity, and lay the foundation for a country that works.
Tshwane is turning a corner.
Let us now turn the country along with it.
Thank you.
Tshwane is Turning a Corner. Let Us Now Turn the Country Along With it
Note to editor: These were the remarks made by ActionSA Tshwane Caucus Leader & Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, at ActionSA’s Local Government Awareness Campaign launched today in Alexandra, Johannesburg. She joined ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba, and members of the Senate and Gauteng Provincial Leadership.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Residents of Alexandra,
Colleagues, and
Fellow South Africans,
I am pleased to be here with you today as we launch ActionSA’s national campaign to fix local government.
This is a campaign rooted in our shared belief that every community, from Alexandra to Atteridgeville, deserves dignity, delivery, and a government that shows up for them.
We are here because local government in South Africa is broken. And unless we fix it, South Africa will remain broken too.
Across our country, municipalities have become places of despair.
Potholes turn roads into obstacle courses.
Water taps run dry while leaks gush for weeks.
Refuse piles up and streetlights don’t work.
In too many communities, including right here in Alexandra, people have been forced to live without the most basic services.
It is unthinkable that the dignity of residents has become a luxury 31 years into democracy.
This is a failure of administration and a betrayal of the very purpose of government.
Local government is meant to be the level of government closest to the people. Yet, in practice, it has become the level furthest from them.
A distant bureaucracy filled with excuses, corruption, and cadre deployment.
It is the poor, the unemployed, and the voiceless who suffer most.
ActionSA was formed because we refused to accept this as normal.
We were tired of promises. Tired of politicians who only arrive during elections.
Tired of leaders who are only accountable to their party bosses and not to the communities they serve.
That is why this campaign is a mission to restore people’s faith in the democratic project.
To prove that government can work, and that it can care.
As Executive Mayor of Tshwane, I know how deep the rot runs.
When we took office in October 2024, we inherited a city in financial crisis, with services collapsing and communities demoralised.
Budgets were unfunded.
Infrastructure was crumbling.
Trust was gone.
But we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.
In just over 7 months, we passed the City’s first fully funded, pro-poor budget in years which finally put Tshwane on a path to financial recovery.
We launched the Tshwane Economic Revitalisation Strategy to stimulate growth in tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, and the township economy in pursuit of 3.9% economic growth by 2029.
We introduced a plan to settle our R6.7 billion Eskom debt, stabilising electricity supply and mitigating energy instability to the best of our ability.
We restored water supply in places like Hammanskraal where people had been forced to live without clean water for nearly two decades.
We have fixed over 20 000 streetlights.
We rolled out clean-up campaigns and fixed roads.
We took the first real steps to Reclaim Our City from lawlessness, cable theft, and illegal land grabs.
We also launched the Tshwane Imbizo which gives residents an unmediated voice in governance, because we believe the people must come first.
Let me be clear: we are not claiming perfection.
There is a long road ahead.
But we are proving, every day, that where ActionSA governs, things can get better.
And that is why we are launching this campaign nationwide. Because Tshwane should not be the exception.
Every city and town in South Africa deserves leadership that is ethical, decisive and accountable.
We believe in what we call Service Deliverism: the simple idea that government must be judged not by what it promises, but by what it delivers.
That communities deserve clean, safe streets. Functioning clinics. Reliable electricity and water. Jobs that restore pride. A government that spends money on people, not perks.
We believe in putting power back in the hands of the people where it belongs.
So let me say this to the residents of Alexandra and communities across South Africa: you are not powerless.
You have a voice.
You have a vote.
And you have a choice.
If your area is filthy, unsafe, or forgotten, it does not have to stay that way. You can help fix it by standing with ActionSA.
Tell your neighbours about ActionSA.
Hold leaders to account.
Local government is not a sideshow.
It is the arena in which service delivery must take centre stage.
And if we fix it, we can rebuild trust, create jobs, restore dignity, and lay the foundation for a country that works.
Tshwane is turning a corner.
Let us now turn the country along with it.
Thank you.