“Lack of planning is one of the biggest failures in the metro,” said DA councillor Tiziana Burtone.
“If one examines the breakdown of the main components making up the capital budget, it shows that only 23 per cent has been allocated to economic development.”
The DA feels that this translates to economic growth and job creation taking a backseat, instead of remaining one of the top concerns for the metro.
“By investing money in economic development, one tries to create an environment in which investors and entrepreneurs can develop and start their businesses.
“Not only is the allocation less than the guideline, but the amount of funding is far too low to make any meaningful impact on stimulating Ekurhuleni’s economic growth, or for any meaningful reduction in the serious levels of unemployment,” Burtone said.
It is reported that the metro had only spent 36 per cent of the approved capital budget by the end of the third quarter.
Burtone believes this shows that the metro has a serious inability to implement its programme of capital projects.
“I can’t see the metro being able to spend the remaining R2.4-billion in three months,” she said.
With R4.4-b budgeted in the new financial year; the DA in Ekurhuleni wants to know how the metro plans to spend the newly budgeted amount.
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