Joburg residents can look forward to more changes in the city, given the 2018/ 19 budget, which was recently approved by the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) council.
“The approval of the 2018/ 19 Adjustments Budget is an historic moment for the City which has, for the first time, approved an Adjustments Budget in January, a month earlier than has been the practice in the past. This will afford departments and entities an additional opportunity to fully utilise their budgets and deliver on key projects which will drive service delivery,” said the CoJ’s Executive Mayor, Herman Mashaba.
During last year’s State of the City Address, Mashaba committed the multi-party coalition government to the Diphetogo Programme. Diphetogo is a Sesotho word that translates as the idea of real, transformational change.
Mashaba explained that, for the City, Diphetogo captures the idea that change is not an event but a process. This is why Diphetogo speaks to defining an end state for Johannesburg and ensuring that long-term planning and investment work towards that objective.
The Adjustments Budget has seen an increase in allocations for key infrastructure projects and Diphetogo priorities by over R696 million as compared to the approved 2018/19 Budget.
Some of these key projects are:
– R130 million for the electrification of Fleurhof and South Hills developments – crucial projects for addressing housing needs in the City.
– R82 million additional spending for the electrification of informal settlements, bringing the budget to R200 million for 2018/ 19.
– R25 million additional spending for the procurement of mobile clinics by the City, up from R5 million in the approved budget.
– R20 million additional spending for the installation of new public lighting city-wide.
– R15 million for the procurement of a mobile sub-station to reduce power outages related to sub-station damage.
– R50 million additional spending for the upgrading of Council-owned flats and old-age homes.
– R50 million additional spending for the planned replacement of sewer lines, to reduce the number of blockages.
– R135 million is additionally allocated for road reconstruction and rehabilitation. The budget for traffic calming measures has been doubled to R20 million, given the large number of requests received from residents, especially in relation to schools.
– R35 million for upgrades to the City’s EMS, JMPD and Disaster Management Operations Centre in order to improve safety and security in the City. R10 million has been set aside for much-needed fire and rescue equipment, including equipment used in urban search and rescue.
According to Mashaba, through the Diphetogo Programme, the 2018/ 19 financial year has seen an increase in the capital budget for transport, electricity, water and housing from 58 per cent in 2017/ 18 to 69 per cent. These critical areas will receive a further R300 million in the adjustments budget passed in Council today. Service delivery issues that plague our communities arise from these institutional backlogs, and prioritisation of spend in these areas will continue to improve the lives of the City’s residents.
Mashaba ended his speech by saying, “As a City, we remain on the path to delivering the change so desperately needed by our residents through Diphetogo, and creating a civil service which continuously works in the best interests of our residents”.
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