Yesterday, the multi-party coalition government in Tshwane passed the Adjustment Budget as tabled by the Executive Mayor, Randall Williams, without any additional recommendations.
The week, leading up to this event was filled with negotiations between the coalition partners; a variety of recommendations to this report were tabled and discussed, some of which were included in a statement released yesterday by ActionSA.
However, prior to the final vote, the partners agreed to support the budget as it was originally tabled. A commitment was made to work together in the spirit of the coalition agreement by sharing responsibilities.
We now move forward with our focus fully on meeting the commitments to Tshwane residents as set out in the approved Adjustment Budget.
With Tshwane not receiving a long-term loan in the last financial year, we needed to secure the city’s finances. In doing so, we have made adjustments that total R700 million so that we focus the work of the administration on core deliverables.
Every department in the city gave up funding so we can ensure financial sustainability.
Our additional revenue projections of R250 million are reflected so that we can enhance service delivery. With our current aggressive #TshwaneYaTima revenue campaign, we hope to build on this amount.
Our grant of R146 million for the Presidential Employment Programme which created 9 000 job opportunities is secured and reflected properly.
We incurred additional savings of R150 million through numerous cost-cutting initiatives as we reduced spending on unnecessary leasing of equipment, cut down on events, unnecessary fees and various non-essential items to secure the city’s financial sustainability.
We are prioritizing these savings towards core service delivery services so we accelerate the maintenance of critical infrastructure in water and electricity, fill potholes, repair streetlights, provide comprehensive urban management
Slowly but surely we are improving the city’s finances and its ability to deliver services and create economic opportunities.
The DA will engage all our coalition partners to find a working solution to avoid any future discrepancies or conflicting messages in the media space.
The DA remains committed to making the coalition in Tshwane work, not just for the people of the city, but as a model for a new national government after the 2024 general election.