The Democratic Alliance has filed a fraud case against City of Tshwane's Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise following a forensic report revealing his undeclared interest in a company doing business with the municipality. The African National Congress and ActionSA have criticized the move, arguing it lacks evidence and disrupts an ongoing internal process. The case highlights tensions in Tshwane's coalition government.
On December 3, 2025, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the City of Tshwane opened a criminal fraud case against Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance Eugene Modise. The action stems from a forensic investigation report tabled last week, which found that Modise was unethically benefiting from a company currently conducting business with the municipality due to his failure to declare his interest.
DA Tshwane leader Cilliers Brink announced the case via social media, stating, "The DA has opened a criminal case against Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise after an investigative report confirmed he failed to declare his interest in a company doing business with the City of Tshwane. While the mayor protects him, we are taking action. With the help of Adv Gerrie…" The tweet underscores the DA's frustration with what they see as inadequate internal handling.
The African National Congress (ANC) in Tshwane swiftly denounced the DA's decision. ANC spokesperson Bafuzi Yabo emphasized that an internal process is already underway, initiated by an inquiry into Modise's business dealings. He noted, “There is a process that has been kickstarted and it’s still in motion, and the report culminated out of an inquiry that was made on the affairs of Mr Modise… The report then did not make mention of anything about corruption or fraud. It said to council, here is the report, council then decided we’re going to have an ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee will be multi-party, the DA will be part of that ad hoc committee. They’ll be able to ventilate their issues in that committee themselves.” Yabo argued there is no evidence in the report to support fraud or corruption charges, making the criminal case unnecessary.
ActionSA echoed this criticism, dismissing the DA's move as an attempt to deflect from its own governance failures in the city. National Chairperson Michael Beaumont stated, “Council has already taken the correct step of referring the report to a committee for formal consideration. This process exists to ensure that the matter is handled with the seriousness it deserves, in a lawful, fair and procedurally sound manner. It is only through this route that Council can reach conclusions that are credible and defensible.” ActionSA's statement via social media highlighted the report's lack of substantial evidence for criminal charges.
The incident reflects ongoing coalition strains in Tshwane, where the DA holds the mayoralty but relies on ANC support. The multi-party ad hoc committee will now review the report, potentially shaping the political fallout.