Mayor Mfeketo Tables Transformation Budget

The City is committed to spend approximately R8 billion on capital projects and R40,6 billion on operating costs over the next three years. Mayor Mfeketo stressed that the key priority of the budget is to provide housing for all.

She spelled out the five key winning strategies to transform the City as contained in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). These are:

Creating integrated settlements

Economic growth and job creation

Building strong communities

Access and mobility

Equitable and effective service delivery

The five strategies are broken up into 47 objectives and programmes with measurable targets. The capital programme is also broken up into 47 programmes to align strategies with outcomes.

Some 64% of the proposed capital budget will be allocated to creating integrated settlements. This includes R2 billion for the N2 Gateway project which will deliver 22 000 houses. Nearly 90% of this money comes from national and provincial government. Some R454 million, or 30%, will come from the City's own funds (External Financing Fund or Asset Financing Fund).

The other main allocations according to the winning strategies include R20 million for economic growth and job creation, a R14 million capital allocation to build strong communities and R321 million to promote access and mobility.

Mayor Mfeketo announced that some 130 community development workers have been appointed to serve Cape Town and expressed the hope that these workers will make an important contribution to build strong communities in the city.

She stressed that equal access and mobility will go a long way to transform and develop the city. This includes the development of nine corridors of potential public transport growth. The first, known as the Klipfontein Corridor stretches from Baden Powell Drive in the south east to the central business district (CBD). It is well advanced in terms of planning and auxiliary infrastructure construction. The second, known as the Atlantis Corridor, stretches from the CBD to Atlantis. This corridor is in the planning stage.

A further amount of R856 million has been allocated to ensure that the City's delivery infrastructure is maintained and expanded.

This includes the upgrade and expansion of wastewater treatment plants at Athlone, Borchard's Quarry, Potsdam and Zandvliet. It further provides for the replacement of ageing electricity infrastructure and the extension of supply to new areas. Other programmes to ensure equitable service delivery covers primary health care facilities such as new clinics for Khayelitsha, Delft South and Mfuleni. This is part of the City's commitment to ensure that no community should be located more than 2,5 kilometres from such clinics.

Communication - City Of Cape Town
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