Nearly three years after moving to blacklist controversial tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi, the City of Tshwane has failed to even deliver the notice barring his company from state work – citing the unusual excuse that it cannot find his address.Though, it took the Sunday Times just one WhatsApp message to find Sodi, who said: “Write whatever you want to write.”
The leader of the DA opposition in tshwane, Cilliers Brink, accused members of the metro management – run by a coalition that includes the ANC and ActionSA – of deliberately trying to sabotage the blacklisting of Sodi.
The self-declared ANC benefactor’s companies Blackhead Consulting and the G-5 Group (previously known as NJR Projects) have benefited from government contracts worth hundreds of millions of rand. Politicians with whom he has close ties include Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
In June 2023, the City of Tshwane announced that it had initiated a process to blacklist blackhead Consulting and NJR Projects after the entities, in a joint venture with CMS Water, botched a R291m project to refurbish the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant in Hammanskraal,north of Pretoria. The companies had failed to perform on the contract, which was awarded in 2019 and terminated by the council three years later.
The failure to fix the wastewater plant led to a cholera outbreak in mid-2023 in which nearly 30 people in the pretoria area died.
Multiple attempts were made on separate occasions to serve notice on the affected companies and their directors through prescribed channels, including address confirmation via the central supplier database and other lawful mechanisms. These efforts were complex by the entities being untraceable at their registered locations
– Sam Mgobozi, Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya’s spokesperson
The National Treasury’s procurement regulations allow government departments, state-owned entities and municipalities to blacklist companies and bar them from doing business with the state for up to 10 years. Companies can be blacklisted for various forms of misconduct, including:
- poor performance;
- bribery;
- corruption;
- bid-rigging;
- fronting;
- collusion;
- lying about their broad-based BEE status; and
- presenting fraudulent tax clearance certificates.
The treasury controls the blacklisting process and maintains a list of all those affected.
Though, almost three years after the Tshwane authorities pledged to blacklist Sodi and his partners, they have yet to do so, citing an inability to establish the companies’ addresses. Sodi is often seen in his nightclub, City of Tshwane and Stadium Projects
The City of Tshwane is overseeing both the Caledonian Stadium refurbishment and the Refilwe project. As of April 2021, the Refilwe project was reported to be 95% complete, indicating substantial progress. However, the Caledonian Stadium project has seen limited advancement.
According to a statement from Kamogelo Baloyi,the company’s general manager,the City of Tshwane had not yet decided whether to finalize any blacklisting procedures related to the contractor. Baloyi refuted claims of non-performance by Mologadi A Nape, attributing delays to ongoing contractual and legal disputes, including arbitration and enforcement proceedings.
Caledonian Stadium Refurbishment Details
the Caledonian Stadium refurbishment was budgeted at R120 million and aimed to restore the historic stadium. The project’s purpose is to modernize the facility, possibly for sporting events and community use.
As of April 9, 2021, the project was significantly behind schedule compared to the Refilwe project. The specific reasons for the delays beyond contractual disputes were not detailed in the initial report.
example: The TimesLIVE report from April 2021 highlighted the disparity in progress between the two projects, noting the 95% completion of Refilwe versus the limited progress at Caledonian Stadium.
tshwane Sports Facilities and Mologadi A Nape
Mologadi A Nape was contracted by the City of Tshwane to undertake the Caledonian Stadium refurbishment.The company’s general manager,Kamogelo baloyi,stated that the project’s delays were linked to ongoing legal and contractual disputes.
The City of Tshwane has not publicly released detailed details regarding the nature of these disputes or the status of the blacklisting consideration as of January 25, 2026. A search of the City of Tshwane’s tenders and Contracts portal did not yield specific details on the Caledonian Stadium contract or related legal proceedings as of this date.
evidence: Baloyi’s statement, as reported by TimesLIVE, directly attributes the delays to ongoing disputes, suggesting a complex legal situation surrounding the project.
