‘Better value for residents’: Tshwane mayor on his plans to keep the city financially stable

Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has announced measures to try save the City of Tshwane from financial collapse and ensure efficient levels of revenue collection.

Six month turnaround plan

Brink said within the next six months the city was planning to increase revenue and reduce expenditure in the range of R1 billion.

“Our performance on one of these circles impacts our performance on subsequent circles. The city’s problem can therefore be summarised as follows: The city’s tariffs do not cover our expenses to deliver services, in part because those costs are too high. Our costs are, in turn, affected by factors like the productivity and compensation of our employees and the value we receive from tenders,” he said.

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The municipality is planning on maximising its collection rate and cutting on expenditure where possible.

“We believe that we can save significantly on bulk purchases and expenses if Rooiwal Power Station is brought online and a deal is concluded with a private operator. We hope that this saving will be realised during the course of 2025,” he said.

He said that the municipality will also work to ensure the City of Tshwane is more cost effective, beginning in July this year when the new budget begins.

“This does not simply mean higher prices but, more importantly, managing our own costs downward. Our efforts will be focused on getting better value for money for residents who pay rates, tariffs and charges,” he said.

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Brink said the municipality has already reviewed its supply chain management policy to favour bidders that deliver value, including original equipment manufacturers.

“We have also made management changes in the supply chain management division. Tender awards in the city will now be granted based on a market assessment. Systems and controls in acquisition and stock management will be tightened up. And we will be looking very carefully at which officials in the supply chain function of the city try to undercut or undermine the systems and controls we are installing,” he said.

Tariffs and billing disputes

He said the integrity management framework recently adopted by council will allow the city manager to order lifestyle audits on officials.

“Further to the issue of tariffs, the city will update the property valuation roll in 2025. We believe there are many discrepancies on our valuation roll. Anyone who does a search online will find large, upmarket properties in Tshwane on which nominal property rates are payable,” Brink said.

On billing, the city is allocating additional resources to ensure that the data is correct and that billing disputes are dealt with effectively.

“We will also make sure that everyone gets a bill, if not online, then on their phones. We can no longer count on the Post Office, nor require residents to visit municipal offices once a month. We must use technology,” Brink said.