THE City of Johannesburg’s adjustment budget was unable to be passed this week after councillors bickered on its adoption.
The municipality, which is governed by the ANC with the help of other parties represented in council such as ActionSA, the EFF, Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the IFP, has been facing massive challenges such as water shortages and campaigns on social media relating to service delivery. The DA in the City of Joburg council accused the ANC of collapsing the council meeting.
”The Johannesburg council meeting descended into chaos (on Thursday) and the speaker (Nobuhle Mthembu) was forced to adjourn proceedings due to the disruptive behaviour of ANC councillors during the adjustment budget vote,” the DA stated.
The party claimed this was a clear attempt to derail the democratic process as ANC councillors resorted to shouting and heckling to prevent the vote from proceeding, because the budget would not have passed.
”The DA firmly rejects this adjustment budget, which exposes the ANC/EFF/PA/ActionSA coalition’s continued mismanagement of Johannesburg’s finances. This budget is built on deception, with inflated revenue projections, reckless cuts to critical infrastructure – especially water infrastructure spending, and an unsustainable borrowing plan that will sink the city further into debt,” DA Joburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku added that during the water crisis that has hit the city, mayor Dada Morero felt it apt to allow his executive to table a budget that would have cut water infrastructure spending. "The DA will not be intimidated, nor will we support this budget without serious changes," Kayser-Echeozonjoku added.
The City of Johannesburg has a budget of nearly R76 billion and the administration wanted adjustments for new priority as the municipality has battled several months with water shortages.
According to the GOOD Party, the city plans to cut to critical housing projects including formalisation of informal settlements, which will be cut by R165 million, hostel redevelopment projects slashed by R5 million each for multiple locations, bulk infrastructure for new housing developments will shed R35.5 million for the Eikenhof substation and other areas.
Other cuts are targeted at the Soweto planned water main replacement, which was budgeted to cost about R6.5 million, the Orange Farm sewer mains had about R6.6 million budgeted while the Halfway House water upgrade had R76 million set aside.
”Given the city’s history of water shortages and infrastructure failures, these reductions could negatively impact service delivery,” the GOOD party warned.
loyiso.sidimba@iol.co.za