GTM budgets R1.6 billion for 2022/2023

This was announced by GTM’s head of Finance, Thabo Maunatlala, during a live broadcast of the IDP draft budget on Wednesday, April 20.
Amounting to an equitable share of R481 million, R150 million will be levied by property tax and R800 million from user charges.
The proposed tariff increases are electricity by 10%, property rates by 4.8% and refuse, sewer and sanitation by 4.8%.
Maunatlala said that the total operational expenditure is R1.474 billion.
Employee costs make up R406 million of the budget, bulk purchases R467 million, R164.3 million will go towards capital projects of which R113 million will go towards the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) projects of which R50 million will come from GTM’s own funding.

“Being able to generate R50 million from our own funding to augment MIG projects, shows how financially sustainable we are as a municipality.
“We are not a grant dependent institution. In terms of loans and financed loans, we are at zero-zero,” he said.
He also referred to five multi-year road projects which will cost about R100 million combined and are currently being implemented by GTM across the region.
This include R18.3 million for the Mulati access pavement road, R20.5 million for pavement for internal streets in Pharare, R20 million for the Risava/Mnisi internal street project in ward 5, R20.8 million for a main road in ward 13 and R19 million for the N’wamitwa bridge in ward 12.

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Head of Infrastructure, Conny Ramothwala outlined some of the electricity upgrades which will be undertaken.
Some of these include R5 million for 11KV cables for Tzaneen CBD and rebuilding of a 66KV wooden line of 20km from Tarantaalrand to Tzaneen.
R3 million has also been set aside for the rebuilding of the Modjadjiskloof 3.3 KV line for a distance of 5km, among others.
Gerson Molapisane, GTM mayor, also touched on other projects planned for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years.
The IDP budget draft can be accessed either at www.greatertzaneen.gov.za, the IDP offices in the civic building in Agatha Street, any municipal library and any Thusong centre until until Friday, April 29.
Molapisane promised to note down every voice and view on the draft irrespective of stature or status.