City to invest R110 billion on infrastructure

Weather patterns across the City of Johannesburg have shifted significantly, which will be increasing the risk of flooding and causing severe damage to infrastructure.

City of Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau has announced on 24 January the City’s investment intention to ‘weather proof’ infrastructure.

“The extreme fluctuations in weather patterns underscore the unpredictability of climate change in future. Joburg will become hotter and wetter,” said Tau.

“The choices we make today will determine how livable and resilient our city will be in future.

“The City is cognisant of its ageing infrastructure, capacity constraints and backlogs, and will spend more than R110 billion on the provision of infrastructure over the next ten years. Over the next three years more than R30 billion will be allocated to the replacement and upgrading of ageing infrastructure as well as new infrastructure. In the 2013/14 financial year alone, R7,3 billion will be spent on infrastructure, which represents almost double of the R4,6 billion in 2012/13. The 2014/15 financial year will allocate a further R13,5 billion,” Tau indicated.

As Johannesburg confirmed its readiness to host the prestigious C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Mayors Summit on 4 to 6 February, Tau said that “the City is aware of the responsibility to ensure that capital investment supports a low carbon, resource-efficient strategy, coupled with the ability to adapt to climate change impacts”.