DA CALLS TSHWANE’s BUDGET EXACTLY WHAT IT IS: THE PROTECTION OF PATRONAGE

Cllr Jacqui Uys DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Finance
DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Finance

By Cllr Jacqui Uys
DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Finance

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane rejects the farce that is the City of Tshwane’s budget.

Tshwane’s budget, while promising to uplift and make life easier for the residents of Tshwane is nothing but a protection of ANC patronage, while using residents as cash cows.

The ANC in Tshwane has ignored opposition voices, and included another punitive tax on residents.

The plan is to tax every single resident who cannot afford to make use of the City’s own rubbish collectors, at R500 per month, by forcing them to pay R200 per month in the form of a “City Cleansing Levy”.

Moreover, private waste collectors already pay a fee to utilise the City’s dumping grounds those using private collectors, will now pay double, while those that cannot afford the City’s rates will be penalised for being poor.

This flawed budget further, and most problematically is an exercise in protecting patronage networks:

-R20 million is allocated to pay for an advisor, that will facilitate transactions getting the Rooiwal and Pretoria West Power Stations operated privately, however, the fine print makes it clear that there is no plan to rid Tshwane of Eskom’s 93c/KwA Wheeling tariff.

No independent power producer will be able to sell electricity at the loss this tariff causes.

The intent is clear we want to keep Tshwane dependent on Eskom patronage networks, but let’s hide it from the people.

The Deputy Executive Mayor in his budget speech celebrated that the water woes of Ikageng is over, in Ikageng, the taps are dry but water tankers can be found everywhere.

This budget has almost doubled the Water and Sanitation Department’s water tanker budget.

The intent is clear we will lie and say we prioritise water in taps, while we keep Tshwane reliant on the water tanker mafia.

The Deputy Executive Mayor has announced that R39.8 million of the City’s own funds is allocated to Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) jobs, what he failed to say is that the City’s Social Development Department as a whole is defunded with R81m so the ANC can say that is has given someone a job for 6 months, while it forgets about children, the vulnerable and the elderly.

The intent is clear dismantle larger social development structures that bring about real change, to fool people into giving the ANC a vote in return for a 6-month job.

This ANC government disregards Tshwane’s vulnerable communities, while increasing the Watchman services budget from R307 million in 2024 to R565 million in 2025.

Money that benefits the Deputy Executive Mayor linked, Triotic Protection Services directly.

The DA rejects this budget as we will not be part of the ANC’s systemic oppression of our people shame on anyone who gives this budget their vote.