DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Finance
By Cllr Jacqui Uys – DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Finance
On Thursday the 15th of May, the city of Tshwane Deputy Mayor, the ANC’S Eugene Modise, will deliver his budget speech for the 2025/2026 financial year.
Deputy Mayor Modise’s budget should serve the residents of Tshwane and not become part of the ANC’s quest to look good on paper but fail in its real mandate – delivering services.
If the Deputy Mayor wishes to table a budget that does not push the responsibility of the financial rescue of the City of Tshwane on to residents, he will heed the DA’s submissions into the budget process.
The DA has been a strong proponent of increasing the portion of property value that is exempt from taxation from the current R150 000 to R450 000, which will bring much needed relief for residents who have seen sharp increases in their property values.
The DA has also raised concerns about the newly introduced waste levy presented in the draft budget.
This new levy raises the city’s revenue from waste collection to R2.4 billion for the financial year, up from the current year’s R2billion.
The same draft budget proposes a decrease in spending on waste collection and illegal dumping from R2.1 billion in the current year to R2 billion in the next budget cycle.
This clearly indicates that the intention of this new levy is not to ensure a cleaner city but rather the introduction of yet another tax to use the residents of Tshwane as a stop gap to improve the city’s financial position.
The DA also expects to see a budget that prioritises service delivery where the operational budget is spent on road maintenance, filling of potholes, streetlight repairs and grass cutting in public spaces.
While the Capital Budget prioritises:
Electricity projects to ensure stable electricity supply, like rerouting of the Wonderboom South electricity cables that are currently in a marshland, and refurbishment of the Koedoespoort and Blesbok substations; Water network upgrades to areas that are adversely affecting supply to communities like Highveld in Centurion, Ikageng in Mamelodi and Pretoria North; and
Upgrade of roads across the city, including areas like Ga-Rankuwa Zones 2 & 5, Equestria and Zwavelpoort, as well as the erection of a pedestrian bridge over old Johannesburg Road at Frederick Street to help keep 400 learners safe who cross this road daily.
These are not unreasonable expectations.
We believe that the City of Tshwane’s budget must prioritise service delivery and residents’ needs, and not be used as a tool to make them poorer.
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