Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille has presented a proposed draft budget of R31.8 billion for the 2013/14 financial year.
|||Cape Town - Mayor Patricia de Lille has presented a proposed draft budget of R31.8 billion, with the highest allocation of R13bn to utility services, for the 2013/14 financial year.
De Lille said while there were indications of a slow economic recovery internationally, in some markets South Africa was still experiencing sluggish growth.
“According to the Bureau of Economic Research, GDP growth was expected to drop to 1.6 percent in 2013, with the Consumer Price Index projected to remain at the upper end of the 3 percent to 6 percent range due to the increasing costs associated with food, petrol and energy.
“At the level of funding allocation, even though we have the census figures from 2011 available, metro municipalities find themselves with a lower portion of the equitable share allocated by the national government.
“It is proposed that R1.5bn is allocated to corporate services for Operating Expenditure (opex) and just under R264 million for Capital Expenditure (capex) ensuring the administrative structure that allows us to deliver a well-run city is adequately resourced,” said De Lille.
Economic, environmental and spatial planning would receive a proposed opex budget of R495m and capex of over R66m where as the finance directorate would receive R1.8bn in opex and under R11m in capex.
City health is expected to receive just over R800m in opex and just over R23m in capex.
A proposed R1.2bn is to allocated to human settlements for opex and over R600m for capex.
“These allocations will help us build the kind of integrated communities that are the answer to overcoming the spatial legacy of apartheid,” said de Lille.
The office of the city manager was allocated R700m in opex and under R50m in capex.
Safety and security would receive over R1.5bn in opex and just under R41m in capex.
Social development and early childhood development would receive just under R77m in opex and just over R8m in capex.
Transport, roads, and stormwater would receive R2bn in opex and just over R1.4bn in capex.
Utility services would receive R13bn in opex and just over R2.7bn in capex.
“Utilities are by far the biggest portion of the budget, which confirms our commitment to ensure that basic services continue to be delivered to all and which further supports the operation and expansion of the city economy.”
Tourism, events and marketing would receive just over R500m in opex and over R26m in capex.
Cape Argus