Surplus for Pretoria predicted
Announcing the capital’s budget last week, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa predicted a surplus for Tshwane.
A R30-billion budget has been announced for the Tshwane metro for the 2016/17 financial year.
Presenting the budget last week, mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said the largest component was allocated to key infrastructure areas.
This would predominantly support economic infrastructure within the transport, energy and water and sanitation areas while supporting the eradication of the city’s social infrastructure backlog.
“An analysis indicates that some 20,6% of the total budget (R717-million) will be spent on the urban core, which includes the township areas,” Ramokgopa told a special sitting of the Tshwane metro council.
He said there would be a positive cash position at the end of the 2016/17 financial year totalling R3,1-billion.
“The 2016/17 financial year presents an expenditure plan of about R32,8-billion, which includes an operational budget of R28,3-million and a capital budget of R4,5-billion.”
Where connectivity and inclusive growth was concerned, Ramokgopa said the metro would invest about R100-million on digital connectivity.
In addition to investing R1,5-billion towards repairs and maintenance across the areas of roads, water and electricity, the city would spend more than R21-million on new energy bulk infrastructure as well as new electrification connections.
Regarding water and sanitation, some R5-billion would be invested in the next year on reservoir extensions, the replacement and upgrading of bulk pipeline infrastructure, the refurbishment of water networks and the development of Tshwane’s waste water treatment works.
Ramokgopa said one of the problems facing the city was illegal land invasion – a situation that had to be arrested.
“In this regard, the city’s contribution towards combating this illegality will be an investment of R90-million over the next three years.”
Ramokgopa said the metro police service had to be provided with the requisite levels of infrastructure capacity to be able to execute their duties and create a safe urban environment.
A total of R30-million had been budgeted for the purchasing of various policing equipment in the new financial year.
He said to further equip the emergency services in Tshwane, R11-million would be spent to, among others, renovate and upgrade facilities across the city and to purchase disaster risk management tools and equipment.
On an operational level, the emergency service department had been allocated R620,6-million.
During the last financial year, the Tshwane metro had spent R250-million on leased office space to accommodate over 4 500 staff members.
“If left unattended, this figure would have breached the R900-million mark over the medium term,” said Ramokgopa
With the completion of Tshwane House next year, some R170-million would be saved in this regard in the short term, said Ramokgopa.
“In the medium term, the city will explore ways to completely exit the office space lease market in favour of developing and occupying our own buildings.”
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