“Lack of planning is one of the biggest failures of the metro, and if one examines the breakdown of the main components making up the capital budget, it shows that only 23% percent has been allocated to economic development,” says Tiziana Burtone from the DA.
This means that growing the metro’s economy and trying to create jobs is not one of the top concerns.
By investing money in economic development, it creates 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 growth in Ekurhuleni or for any meaningful reduction in the serious levels of unemployment,” says Tiziana.
The metro had allegedly only spent 36% of the approved capital budget by the end of the third quarter.
“This shows that the metro has a serious inability to implement its programme of capital projects and I can’t see them being able to spend the remaining R2.4-billion in three months.”
She adds that with R4.4-b budgeted in the new financial year, it’s hard to believe that the metro will even be able to spend the newly budgeted amount, given the metro’s poor track record.
“The metro is incapable of spending its capital budget and utilising the grants received from national taxes to uplift the people at a meaningful pace,” she concludes.
