DA raises stakes around Eugene Modise’s R200k salary sanction - TimesLIVE

There is still no confirmation that Tshwane deputy mayor and finance MMC Eugene Modise’s salary has been docked, months after council resolved to sanction him for failing to declare his financial interests.

The DA in Tshwane is now demanding that the city enforce the two-month salary sanction before the current municipal term comes to an end.

This follows Modise being found guilty of breaching the councillors’ code of conduct after failing to declare his financial interest in Triotic Protection Services, a security company doing business with the City of Tshwane.

Council resolved that he should forfeit two months’ salary of R200,000.

But the DA says it has not received confirmation that the deduction had been made.

In a statement, DA Tshwane finance spokesperson Jacqui Uys said the city should not allow the council resolution to lapse.

“A council resolution cannot simply be ignored when it concerns a senior political office bearer,” Uys said.

“Only two months remain in the current term. We therefore demand confirmation that Modise’s salary has been docked, and if it hasn’t been docked that it be done immediately.”

TimesLIVE approached the City of Tshwane for clarity on whether the sanction had been implemented.

The mayor’s spokesperson, Samkelo Mgobozi, referred TimesLIVE to the office of the speaker, or the office of the chief whip, saying those offices were better placed to respond to questions about council processes and the implementation of council resolutions involving councillors.

The speaker had not responded to TimesLIVE’s questions at the time of publication.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Modise accused the DA of attempting to distract them from the ANC’s election campaign. “They are now feeling the heat as the mighty ANC is in full swing,” he said.

He said he had signed all the documents with the human resources department, and the matter was out of his control.

The salary sanction is the latest development in a matter that has been under scrutiny for more than a year.

In October 2025, an internal investigation found that Modise continued to benefit financially from Triotic Protection Services after he had resigned as a director of the company.

Triotic, which was founded by Modise, provided guarding services at more than two dozen Tshwane properties, including substations, sports facilities and water-treatment plants.

At the time, Tshwane speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana said his office had received the investigation report but had sought a legal opinion before tabling it before council.

The matter later escalated, with a forensic investigation recommending disciplinary action against Modise for failing to disclose a material business relationship with Triotic.

Triotic was earning about R3m a month from the municipality for guarding more than 20 sites. The investigation found that although Modise said he had sold his interest in the company after becoming a councillor, he had not produced a sale agreement or proof of payment.

The investigation also found that Triotic rented office space in a property owned by Modise and that these financial interests had not been declared.

Modise has denied wrongdoing. He previously told TimesLIVE that he resigned from Triotic when he became a councillor and that the investigation had cleared him of corruption.

The DA had previously taken the council’s decision to impose the two-month salary penalty to the Gauteng high court.

The party wanted the penalty reviewed, arguing that council should have considered stronger sanctions, including suspension or removal from office.

Modise rejected what the DA said and emphasised he had sold his shares in Triotic under a payment agreement. He also said the property leased to the company did not bring him financial benefit.

In May, Modise withdrew from the ANC’s race to become the party’s Tshwane mayoral candidate because of the controversy that surrounded him.

The DA is now questioning whether that sanction had actually been carried out.

Uys said the party had regarded the roughly R200,000 penalty as too lenient from the beginning and was challenging the council’s decision in court.

She said the failure to declare financial interests undermined fair contracting and put opportunities for local businesses at risk.

“Despite the slap-on-the-wrist nature of the sanction, the ANC/ActionSA government in Tshwane has not given any indication that Modise’s salary has in fact been docked,” Uys said.

The DA wants the city to confirm whether the deduction has been made and, if it has not, to implement it before the end of the current municipal term.