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Tshwane Mayor, Nasiphi Moya, has strongly defended herself against claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that she unlawfully benefitted from a payment made by the city. The payment in question, totaling R268,975.51, was allegedly made to Moya in 2019 during her tenure as chief of staff under then-mayor Steven Mokgalapa’s administration.
According to Moya, the payment was part of a benchmarking-related salary adjustment and was issued to her as part of a wider adjustment affecting 78 officials across the municipality. The adjustments were part of a citywide process that aimed to backdate salary lump sums across various affected salary bands. However, the DA has accused Moya of receiving overpayments and launched a targeted campaign against her.
In a letter to former mayor Cilliers Brink, Moya expressed surprise at the DA’s sudden interest in the issue, given that the matter dates back to July 2019 and was already known within the city. She reminded Brink that the issue had been formally addressed by his predecessor, Randall Williams, in February 2021, with no further action taken during his tenure as executive mayor from March 2023 to September 2024.
“I find it ironic that those who were in power during the time the payments were made are now calling for transparency,” Moya wrote, specifically calling out former DA MMC for finance, Jacqui Uys, and Brink’s former chief of staff, Jordan Griffiths, for their role in overlooking the matter. She accused them of being politically opportunistic and disingenuous.
Moya further clarified that the payment she received was authorized by the group head of human capital management and was pending the completion of a citywide benchmarking exercise. She stressed that she had resigned from her position in May 2020, before the benchmarking was finalized in July of that year. Consequently, the discrepancy in her final salary grading became apparent only after her departure, and she was never informed of the issue at the time.
According to Moya, a formal directive was issued by Williams in February 2021 to ensure that such cases were addressed, including reporting any salary increases paid to former employees to the mayoral committee for further action. However, she pointed out that no corrective measures were implemented during either Mayor Williams’ or Brink’s tenure, and no report was submitted to the mayoral committee.
The issue only came to Moya’s attention in July 2024 when she received an SMS from the city referencing an alleged debt. Upon learning about the matter, she reached out to the city administration for clarification and informed Brink in his capacity as the executive mayor.
After being elected as mayor in October 2024, Moya escalated the issue to the city manager and requested a report to resolve the matter. She emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing, with new information continuing to raise further questions. Moya has fully cooperated with the administration and voluntarily arranged for a monthly repayment to the city, despite asserting that no liability has been established against her.
“I remain confident in the integrity of my conduct. I have taken this step in recognition that the office I hold demands a standard of leadership that is beyond reproach,” she stated, adding that city manager Johann Mettler could confirm her full cooperation.
Moya concluded by stating that preliminary findings have shown no evidence of wrongdoing by the officials who received the payments in good faith. She criticized the broader political and administrative handling of the matter, urging scrutiny in that area.
