PRETORIA, Gauteng — The Tshwane coalition government is facing a critical test of its ability to deliver basic services in the municipality that encompasses Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital. With shifting political alliances and mounting pressure ahead of the November 4 local government elections, residents are increasingly judging the administration not by political promises, but by fundamental questions: Does the water flow, do the lights stay on, and how quickly are municipal repairs made?
The municipality has experienced significant political volatility in recent years. In 2024, Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor Cilliers Brink was removed through a vote of no confidence. Subsequently, ActionSA’s Nasipi Moya was elected mayor, leading a coalition government that includes the African National Congress (ANC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and ActionSA. However, this alliance is now under serious political strain just weeks before voters head to the polls.
The starkest test of whether political promises translate to tangible service delivery is in Hammanskraal. Following a devastating cholera outbreak in 2023, the community has endured years of unsafe and unreliable water. President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area in July to mark progress on infrastructure projects. While the government asserts the problem has been largely addressed, residents report a starkly different reality, describing ongoing hardships that include purchasing water from trucks for 600 rand, dealing with perpetually dry taps, and suffering health consequences from contaminated sources.
There has been some documented infrastructural progress. The first module of the Klipdrift package water treatment plant was completed and declared safe for consumption in early 2025, supplying treated water to parts of Hammanskraal, with a second module completed later that year. The city states this project is helping restore reliable access to clean water.
However, the challenges extend beyond water access. Communities report severe electricity shortages, leading to dangerous illegal connections that residents say have resulted in fatalities and house fires. A young pig farmer who relocated from an affluent northern Pretoria neighborhood to a local farming community, highlighted the stark contrast in municipal support. She noted that residents in her area are forced to independently sort out their own roads, water, and electricity, a sharp departure from the fully serviced environment she previously experienced.
The city’s aging infrastructure is also taking a severe financial toll. The Auditor General recorded water losses of approximately 1.7 billion rand in the 2024/25 financial year, representing roughly 39% of all water purchased. Most of these losses were physical, with water escaping through the aging distribution network. In response, the city reported proactive measures, including replacing more than 28 kilometers of pipe and repairing over 150 major leaks between January and April of this year.
Similarly, the Auditor General noted electricity losses of about 21% of power purchased in the 2024/25 financial year, driven by technical failures, theft, meter tampering, and illegal connections. In April, Mayor Nasipi Moya acknowledged that the city had underestimated the fragility of its electricity network, revealing that more than half of Tshwane’s transformers are over 40 years old, with some exceeding 60 years of age.
While there is documented evidence of infrastructural recovery and improved audit outcomes on paper, the lived experience of residents tells a more complex story. As the November 4 elections loom, the ultimate judgment of the Tshwane coalition government will depend on whether its stabilization efforts can bridge the gap between municipal boardrooms and the street-level reality of South Africa’s administrative capital region.
