15 December 2021
Note to editor: Please note that these speech extracts are embargoed until the conclusion of today’s sitting of the City of Cape Town council meeting. Please check against delivery.
GOOD says yes to more MyCiTi; yes to savings and stopping wasteful expenditure; calls for brave action in the fight for rail to be to be assigned to the City and appeals to the DA to use city land for restorative justice
Today, 15 December 2021, marked the last City of Cape Town’s last council sitting where a number of items on the agenda, from finance, through to land sales and public transport concerns, were addressed by GOOD Councillors.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE THROUGH USING PUBLIC LAND FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD
New Councillor Celeste Wannenburgh works with many displaced communities and those with insecure land tenure. She made an appeal to the DA to use city-owned land for restorative justice purposes as GOOD argued for vociferously in this most recent election.
Speaking on the proposed disposal of city-owned land in Simonstown, Wannenburgh reminded Council that “like so many historic neighbourhoods of Cape Town, Simonstown was for hundreds of years a mixed-race, integrated town until the National Party evicted the people of colour. The City has a chance, and we believe a moral duty, to work to reverse the work of the National Party and the panoramic injustice of its Apartheid”
City-owned land should be released for affordable housing – “ideally for allocation to those families who were evicted from Simonstown in our lifetime” she said. “The land in question would give displaced communities like the former villagers of Redhill an opportunity for restitutive justice” she said.
Media enquiries:
Councillor Celeste Wannenburgh: 061 116 5392
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
During this last City of Cape Town Council meeting, GOOD supported the moves to, finally, after a more than two-and a half month hiatus, begin putting plans in place to restart the MyCiTi N2 Express service to Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. The service was started in 2015 to aid commuters struggling with a failing Metrorail service and operated until mid-2019.
“Whilst we welcome signs that the N2 Express may finally be getting back on the road again, the critical but barely functional rail service cannot be ignored” says GOOD Councillor Mark Rountree. “Rail is the backbone of the public transport network and GOOD is very disappointed that the DA is abandoning the pursuit of rail functions.”
“In the past, the City has bravely taken on National Government – fighting for the right to procure renewable electricity and fighting to stop e-Tolls in Cape Town. In both cases, these important battles have been won” said Rountree. “It is very disappointing that this administration is now backing away from the fight for rail services. If rail doesn’t work, then city will not work.”
Rountree encouraged the DA to deliver on their election promise. Just two months ago, Mayor Hill-Lewis said the DA is intensifying its fight to take control of Cape Town’s rail system. But today they are refusing to even get in to the ring. The DA voted not to appoint a panel of experts, selected through an open tender system, to develop the rail assignment plan for the City. “This cowardice and lack of vision will kill our economy” said Rountree.
Media enquiries:
Councillor Mark Rountree: 082 880 4393
SAVINGS THROUGH ELIMINATING INSTITUTIONAL REDUNDANCIES
Cape Town is the only city in South Africa with a system of sub-councils. These subcouncils used to have wide and important functions delegated to them, such as building planning decision powers. However, national legislation enacted during the previous term has removed politicians from decision-making on individual building plans, meaning that the sub-councils have little remaining delegated decision-making powers.
Despite this, the more than twenty sub council chairs still earn more than R1 million per year. “GOOD does not support the continued proliferation of Subcouncils” says GOOD Councillor Saul Markgraff. They have become “a costly patronage system for Councillors who get placed in positions earning over million Rand a year.”
GOOD recommended that a more cost effective system of regional service delivery be considered to replace the more than 20 sub-councils. “SubCouncil offices can be used as valuable community centres, but the inflated salaries to sub-council chairs and managers must be diverted back in to more critical spending or these savings used to reduce tariff charges for ratepayers” said Markgraff.
A further opportunity to save more millions of Ratepayers money was identified by GOOD councillor Gavin Joachims. He noted the duplication of other million-Rand posts – seemingly to simply increase the number of senior political appointments.
“If we already have an Economic Growth Portfolio Committee, what is the purpose of the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Committee other than to deploy a DA cadre to this grossly overpaid post of more than R1 million per year? It seems implausible that the Economic Growth Committee would not enact a reduction of red tape to improve the ease of doing business” said Joachims. Merging these two committees would save at least R10 million during this term of office. “These savings would be better spent on infrastructure in our communities; building houses; and ensuring that our homeless are taken care of” he said.
Media enquiries:
Councillor Saul Markgraff: 081 426 2120
Councillor Gavin Joachims: 060 341 4091
R135 OVERCOLLECTION: GOOD APPEALS FOR MORATORIUM ON DEBT COLLECTION THROUGH PREPAID ELECTRICTY SALES
Speaking to the City of Cape Town’s quarterly financial report, Councillor Suzette Little noted the R135 million over-recovery from water and electricity sales.
This particular report records the failure of the City to spend budget allocations on vital projects needed for the development of communities. One aspect of this report stands out and provides the residents of this city with a glimpse of what lies ahead, on page 28 of volume 4, the main revenue source for the 2021/2022 financial year will be service charges on Electricity revenue and Water Revenue. The amount the City aims to collect amounts to R19.2 billion for this financial year, of which they already over collected this quarter by R135 million.
Little appealed for more insight in to where and how these revenues are being used and requested that a moratorium on using prepaid electricity meter sales to collect outstanding debts. “The quarterly financial report does not provide our communities with confidence that service delivery will become the focus of this council. The struggle for those living on the cape flats will remain their reality, in the face of water and electricity disconnections” she said.
Media enquiries:
Councillor Suzette Little: 082 880 4393
General media enquiries:
Samkelo Mgobozi, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0792315977 (whatsapp)/0829684021 (calls)
Email: samm@forgood.org.za