Latest news with #TshwaneMetro
The Citizen
27-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Tshwane's Aids Council aims to educate
Tshwane residents are being encouraged to know their HIV status. The Tshwane Metro's Aids Council (TMAC) recently held its first orientation meeting since its formation in April. The council is crucial for creating increased awareness about the prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids. It wants to ensure residents know their status and encourage others on treatment to take their ARVs and have a suppressed viral load. The first day of orientation allowed members to be educated on the work to be done by the council. Council chairperson and Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya found it crucial to give words of encouragement to the members about the task that lies ahead. Moya said many people in the city do not know their status, and there are just as many people who are not on medication. She added that the council has terms of reference and objectives that must mirror the work done in communities to increase HIV/Aids awareness. 'For me, what is important is that we must never waste opportunity. What saddens me is that when we posted the launch of the Aids council in Tshwane on social media and shared the statistics of people living with Aids in Tshwane, people didn't know, which means we have work to do. If people are still surprised to hear that over 20% of Tshwane residents are infected, it can only tell you that no one is talking about it, not at the platforms that matter, at least. There must never be a hierarchy in this council, because each and every contribution matters,' Moya said. While the focus of June 24's meeting was orientation of members, various committees were established. The TMAC has two committees: the Programme Review Committee and the Resource Mobilisation Committee. Moya said so far, they have populated the committees with members of civil society, and what remains is for the committees to be populated by members from government departments and other sectors. Gauteng has the second highest number of people living with HIV in the country, of which 11.6% reside in Tshwane. As Chairperson of the Tshwane Metro AIDS Council, I thought it was crucial that I give words of encouragement to council members about task that lies ahead. There are many people in this city who do not know their status and there are just as many people who are not on… — Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) June 24, 2025 Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
AfriForum to challenge Tshwane's new city cleaning levy in court
AfriForum has slammed the City of Tshwane's proposed cleansing levy, calling it unlawful and an added burden on residents. It will challenge this levy in court. Image: Helenus Kruger / City of Tshwane Civil rights organisation AfriForum will take the Tshwane Metro to court to have the implementation of the new city cleaning levy, approved at last week's council meeting, reviewed. The organisation will first file an urgent court application before the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, for an interim interdict to prevent the implementation of this levy on July 1 while its review application against the council resolution approving the levy is pending. This step follows the metro's failure to respond to AfriForum's request for a review of the levy's suspension on Friday. The monthly levy, amounting to approximately R200 per month, will be levied on all properties that do not currently use the metro's refuse removal service. Last week, AfriForum, through its legal team, requested the metro to undertake by Friday (6 June) that the implementation of the levy would be postponed pending the formulation of an alternative agreement or, if this cannot be done, until the legal proceedings in this regard have been concluded. The metro, apart from their lawyers' acknowledgement of receipt of the attorney's letter, did not provide any further feedback. According to Deidre Steffens, AfriForum's advisor for Local Government Affairs, AfriForum made every effort to avoid a legal dispute from the outset. 'We approached the metro shortly after the council announced the plans for the levy in March this year and stressed that implementing it would result in an unfair double tax.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading She added that the metro had the opportunity to rectify the matter, but now – due to its failure to respond, the matter will be taken to court for a review. 'The levy is presented as a so-called service-related fee. However, it is in reality an additional tax that owners must pay on top of the existing property tax that is used to finance non-revenue-generating services, such as street and neighbourhood cleaning,' she added. AfriForum argues that the levy is not based on the level of usage as required by the Local Government Municipal Systems Act. The organisation further points out that the levy unfairly targets residents and businesses who do not make use of the municipal refuse collection service due to the metro's inefficient service delivery. AfriForum's District Coordinator for Greater Pretoria South, Arno Roodt, maintains that the metro wants to punish residents for its inability to balance the city's budget. 'Rather than addressing the underlying causes of budget deficits, the metro is simply shifting the burden onto taxpayers – especially those who do not make use of the metro's inefficient service,' Roodt said. These people already stump up expensive property tax and pay for private service providers, Roodt said. Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Agriculture Management, Obakeng Ramabodu, recently explained that some shopping malls are being targeted because they often have multiple bins but only pay for one. He cited that areas like Wonderpark Estate and malls such as Menlyn Mall are among those targeted, as they use private waste collection services that dispose of waste at city landfills. 'They use our landfills, (which) we maintain (at a cost). They don't maintain them and that is why we are calling for this cleansing levy,' he said.
The Citizen
02-06-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Good news: Relief as Mapleton pumping resumes
Water supply is slowly returning to parts of Pretoria after officials confirmed the completion of the B16 infrastructure project and the resumption of pumping operations at the Mapleton booster station. While relief is in sight for residents affected by a four-day outage, authorities have cautioned that the system requires time to stabilise, and full restoration will occur in phases. Rand Water announced on Monday morning that the has been completed and that pumping at Mapleton has commenced. 'Water supply is not restored immediately following the completion of maintenance as the system needs to build capacity.' It furthermore said low-lying areas recover first, while high-lying areas generally take longer. 'Recovery is influenced by demand, so we urge residents whose water supply has been restored to use water sparingly as supply resumes. 'Thank you for your patience and cooperation as the system recovers.' A water outage lasting over four days affected large parts of the city due to planned maintenance on the city's water infrastructure. Residents had been advised to store water and take necessary precautions ahead of time. From 29 May to 2 June 2025, numerous areas across Pretoria were left without water. The Tshwane Metro had urged residents to prepare in advance for the disruption. According to the Tshwane Metro, Rand Water carried out maintenance work on its Mapleton and Palmiet systems, which supply water to Tshwane. The major maintenance work took four and a half days to complete, running from Thursday, May 29, to June 2, 2025. According to the statement, the water utility had forewarned Tshwane that there would be no pumping from its system for the duration of the work. Also read: Pretoria crime stats: Everything you need to know Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Weskoppies power restored after being cut off
Electricity has been fully restored to the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital after the Tshwane Metro disconnected the facility for failure to pay its debt of over R1-million. In the statement released by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH), the department said it reached an agreement with the metro. 'The GDoH wishes to notify the public that the electricity supply at Weskoppies Hospital has been restored following an agreement with the City of Tshwane. The department's contingency plans ensured that services continued as per normal amid the electricity supply disconnection. We reiterate that patient care was never compromised during the hours in which the facility had to rely on its backup system of five generators and a solar system,' the statement read. The disconnection took place on May 5 when the metro led by Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, under the Thswane Ya Tima campaign, paid a visit to the hospital. At the time, it owed R1.2-million to the city for consecutive months on non-payment. The GDoH had stated that the money owed to the metro for March and April's electricity usage was underway at the time of the disconnection, and that not enough time had passed for the payment to reflect. The delay was due to the transition to the new financial year, and the department said it had been in the process of paying multiple amounts to various service providers. The move by the metro garnered mixed reactions from the public, who believe that this was a step too far, and cutting power to mentally-ill patients is a decision that should have been avoided. Moya, however, remained adamant that government institutions that fail to honour their debts with the metro can expect a visit from them any day. She has since addressed the backlash, saying that the decision was not taken lightly, though enforcing credit control is their responsibility. The mayor acknowledged the vital role that hospitals play and assured residents that patient care was considered before the disconnection. 'I want to assure residents that the hospital's backup power systems remained fully operational during the disconnection, and patient care was not compromised. This was confirmed by the GDoH in its own public statement. I would not have allowed the disconnection if it would have left the facility without power and the subsequent impact on patient care,' Moya said. Moya said the city did not act without due process out of good faith and had previously agreed not to proceed with disconnection, recognising the GDoH's financial year-end in March. She said the metro accepted the GDoH's assurance that payment would be made in early April, and despite multiple follow-ups, no payment was received, leaving them with no alternative. 'Government departments currently owe the city more than R1.6-billion for services rendered. The city is beginning a recovery from a long period of financial distress, and our ability to deliver quality services to millions of residents depends on consistent revenue collection from all customer groups. Ensuring that everyone, including government departments, honours their financial obligations, is essential to sustaining service delivery for our residents,' Moya said. She said the metro will continue to enforce credit control to create a culture of payment and accountability, and that no account in arrears would be spared, whether private, business or government. Watch here: The fourth stop for Tshwane Ya Tima is in the CBD. This facility owes the City of Tshwane R1 million. We've switched them off. We encourage all customers who have outstanding bills with the city to settle them. @CityTshwane — Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) May 5, 2025 Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Mixed reactions as Tshwane cuts off power to Weskoppies over debt
The Tshwane Metro, led by Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, recently disconnected municipal services to several locations at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital during a recent Tshwane Ya Tima drive. The Tshwane Ya Tima revenue collection campaign seeks to disconnect services to defaulting clients who run up high service bills and then fail to pay the city. During the drive on May 5, electricity was switched off to Weskoppies due to owing R1.2-million for non-payment over the past two months. The move has garnered mixed reactions from the public, who believe that this was a step too far, and cutting power to mentally-ill patients is a decision that should have been avoided. Moya, however, remained adamant that government institutions that fail to honour their debts with the metro can expect a visit from them any day. 'The fourth stop for Tshwane Ya Tima is in the CBD. This facility (referring to Weskoppies) owes the City of Tshwane R1-million. We've switched them off. We encourage all customers who have outstanding bills with the city to settle them,' said Moya via her social media. The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has since released a statement claiming that the money owed to the city was being processed at the time the Ya Tima team paid Weskoppies a visit. 'The processing of the R1.2-million owed to the City of Tshwane for March and April electricity consumption was already underway at the time the municipality effected credit control and disconnected Weskoppies Hospital on Monday. The delay in payment is attributed to the transition to the new financial year. The hospital normally makes additional payments to ensure a continuous electricity supply; however, this time around, it could not do so. The owed amount is currently being processed for payment,' the statement read. The GDoH processed R3.8-million to the city concerning other facilities in Tshwane, and that the money was already scheduled for payment on May 5 as part of the payment run to various service providers, the statement continued. The GDoH said it's continuing to engage with the metro and that backup power supplies from five generators and solar panels are keeping Weskoppies up and running, and patient care can continue uninterrupted. As previously mentioned, the move to disconnect the facility has come under fire from many who claim the act was inhumane, one of those parties being MK. Through a released statement, the MKP (uMkhonto weSizwe Party-Medics) have condemned the mayor and the metro's actions against the facility. MKP said the metro should punish the ones who owe them and not the vulnerable who don't. 'MKP Medics stands firmly against the inhumane disconnection of electricity at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital. Patients' lives and dignity must be protected. We demand accountability from those responsible –not punishment of the vulnerable,' the statement read. Various other private and public institutions also received visits from the metro for outstanding debt collection. 'It's important that residents are aware that when Tshwane Ya Tima reaches your doors, it follows extensive consultation by our finance department. We don't just switch off without due process. We have switched off private businesses, we have switched off households, and we have switched off public buildings as well. We are very consistent, and we do not have people who we do not switch off in this campaign,' Moya said. 'It's quite important that we must raise revenue; the services you are complaining about will not be able to be delivered if we do not collect revenue. So we do this so that businesses and government must know that they have a responsibility to pay for our services,' Moya said. Watch here: Our last stop for the day was at King Pie located in the CBD. This business owes the city R868,000. We have switched them off. It's important that residents must be aware that when Tshwane Ya Tima reaches your doors, it follows extensive consultation by our finance department. We… — Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) May 5, 2025 Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
