Tshwane adjustment budget passed after DA-ActionSA impasse

The DA-led Tshwane multi-party coalition on Monday voted in favour of the metro’s adjustment budget that was tabled in council.

This followed last-minute concessions by the DA, after ActionSA threatened to vote against the budget, claiming it was anti-poor.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the concessions made included R20 million further funding for the provision of rudimentary services to informal settlements to provide water and sanitation. Further commitments were also made to increase the budget available for relocating informal settlements.

Hammanskraal water crisis

ActionSA had demanded that the adjustment budget address issues of contractor performance on the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant, the project dealing with the Hammanskraal water crisis.

The DA committed to concluding an investigation into the awarding of the tender for phase one of the project, which was awarded to a joint venture that included controversial businessman, Edwin Sodi.

There was a further commitment to scale-up funding for phase two of the project for the next financial year beginning in July 2022.

Mamelodi flood victims

The multi-party coalition also provided written assurances with regards to the acquisition of land for the Mamelodi flood victims.

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The land is expected to accommodate residents from Hammanskraal whose houses were swept away during the floods that hit parts of Gauteng in 2019.

Beaumont said ActionSA was pleased that their inputs were considered. But he said it was regrettable that the party had to resolve not to support the budget first in order for their service delivery requirements to be heard.

“We will be working with other political parties in the coalition to ensure better processes for the submissions and engagements around budget inputs for the 2022/2023 financial year.

“In the process we trust that it will be understood that ActionSA has its own constituencies and its own manifesto, both of which must find respectable expression in the budgets and plans of our multi-party coalition budgets. If this is done to the benefit of the residents of Tshwane, ActionSA will provide nothing short of our full support,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, DA Tshwane caucus chairperson Jacqui Uys said the party was proud of the good work done by the coalition government in putting together the city’s first adjustment budget.

She said the budget would prioritise savings towards core service delivery services to accelerate the maintenance of critical infrastructure in water and electricity, fill potholes, repair streetlights, and provide comprehensive urban management.

Uys emphasised that the adjustment budget was not affiliated to any specific political party and its manifesto points, but rather a budget that is focused on all residents of Tshwane.

“The multi-party coalition will continue to engage in robust discussions and negotiations to ensure that the residents of Tshwane are prioritised at all times and at the centre of any decision making within the city,” she said in a statement.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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