In a dramatic turn of events the City of Tshwane has dismissed accusations against the newly-elected deputy mayor, Eugene “Bonzo” Modise, who doubles as Finance MMC, that he owes the metro an amount of R690 000 in unpaid municipal bills.
This was after DA caucus leader Jacqui Uys accused Modise of having defaulted on payment of municipal rates and services during a special council sitting at Tshwane House, where he was elected unopposed on Friday.
Uys, who is former finance MMC, called on Modise to settle his huge overdue municipal debt of R690 000 as at March 31, 2024.
“This, or a payment arrangement with the municipality, is the least that the finance MMC can do considering Tshwane’s constrained finances,”she said.
She said the City will be financially unsustainable in the medium term without a culture of payment, adding that “it is essential that members of the mayoral committee not owe arrear debt to the City, or at least if they do, that they make payment arrangements”.
The claims regarding Modise’s outstanding debt came to light three months after it emerged in council that some councillors in Tshwane collectively owed the metro more than R2 million for defaulting on municipal rates and services.
Municipal spokesperson Selby Bokaba, however, said Modise’s accounts were up to date.
“While it is against the law to disclose personal municipal accounts of individuals, we will make an exception on this one. Finance MMC Cllr Eugene Modise’s accounts are all current, and others have credit. He doesn’t owe the city a cent, instead he has paid upfront and has a credit on two of his municipal accounts,” he said.
In council, the ANC caucus and EFF came to Modise’s defence, accusing Uys of disclosing personal information in council to grab media headlines.
In his acceptance speech Modise, who is also a regional ANC chairperson, emphasised the importance of creating a safe and conducive working environment for all employees, calling them "our critical and crucial assets".
He also vowed to ensure that the city wouldn’t have to return unspent budget to the National Treasury, an issue that arose earlier this year when the municipality failed to spend a significant portion of its conditional grants.
However, in July the previous administration clarified that it spent more than 90% of its capital budget for the financial year which ended on June 30 2024.
Modise, who is also the regional ANC chairperson, promised to build on the good work of the previous executive and support capital projects.
He mentioned the intention to expedite the occupancy certificate for state-of-the-art clinics in Soshanguve and Hammanskraal, built in 2016.
Modise also plans to visit families of workers who lost their lives during a prolonged labour strike and apologise for the city's role in their tragedy.
Under his leadership, he said, the municipal assets like Pretoria Showgrounds known as the Tshwane Events Centre will not be allowed to go to ruin.
The previous executive wanted to turn the dilapidated centre in Pretoria west into a mixed-use commercial precinct and attract a hotel, conferencing, retail and small offices.
Tshwane Market, Modise said, will not be left unattended as the executive wants it to generate more revenues.
Modise assumed the position after the incumbent Mayor Nasiphi Moya relinquished it following her election as the new executive mayor to succeed Cilliers Brink, a DA deployee.
The deputy position was first created in council last year when council passed a report tabled by Brink, paving a way for an ActionSA candidate to be appointed into the position as part of a defunct multiparty coalition pact under the DA.
At the time, the position came under serious criticism from the ANC, which expressed concern that it would cost the city about R5m extra “that we didn’t budget in the main budget of 2023/2024 financial year”.
The EFF, which nominated Modise for the position, was also initially opposed to it on the grounds that it would cost the city R40m in the next three years for the deputy mayor.
Pretoria News