The City of Tshwane has gone the extra mile to settle its age-old Eskom debt, paying a whopping R1 billion in installment last month. The mammoth payment has reduced the Eskom debt of the city to R5,66 billion. Mayor Nasiphi Moya made the announcement during a media briefing on Wednesday, 02 April at Tshwane House in Pretoria commemorating the success of her council in the last 175 days
It is worth noting that the city has been attempting to address its financial challenges, including an eye-watering R4,7 billion owed to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) that was uncovered two years ago. The debt was incurred through an illegal contract signed in 2013, which was later overturned by the Gauteng High Court
The city has come a long way in reducing its book of debtors, nearly R30 billion to R25,69 billion as of March 31, 2025, with Mayor Moya at the helm. The city attributes this achievement to improved revenue collections, including the Tshwane Ya Tima campaign and a debt relief program approved by the council.
“This reflects a 30,9 percent reduction compared to what we had in the previous month of February. This progress has made possible by intensified revenue collection efforts including Tshwane Ya Tima campaign,” said Mayor Moya.
The debt relief program has been most effective, with R2,42 billion of registered indigent account debt being written down and an additional R1,83 billion having been paid from over 31,500 dormant accounts. There has been a record uptake of the city’s debt relief program, with over 10,200 applications already submitted. To sustain the momentum, Mayor Moya issued with the plan to ask for an extension of the debt relief program by three months, until May 31, 2025.
Moya said this was not the end of the story as the city needs to hold its officials accountable adding that the plan is to offer relief even to more citizens and assist in strengthening the city’s ongoing financial rebound.
