Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Gauteng government is mulling what action to take in Tshwane after the metro failed to pass its adjustment budget, putting service delivery at risk.
Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink presented the adjustment budget on Thursday, and a vote on Friday failed to meet the council majority for the budget to be passed.
The DA and its coalition partners had 107 votes instead of the required 108 for the budget to be passed. The ANC and EFF voted against its adoption.
The council was given until 14 April to pass the budget, this was the third extension since February.
The adjustment budget is intended to change the City’s financial expenditure as adopted from the initial R44 billion budget passed last year.
Brink had pleaded with councillors to support it, despite the City’s revenue collection being under budget.
He said a plan for increasing revenue collection would be mapped out in the coming months.
The mayor added National Treasury had indicated it would support the City’s plan only if a proper financial roadmap was provided.
Brink’s pleas were not answered by the EFF and ANC, which rejected the budget, saying it was underfunded.
EFF Tshwane regional chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu said the party could not support an underfunded budget.
“For us, this is an underfunded budget. This multi-party government makes us fools. We think they do not have plans, and for us, this budget is a sign of people who won’t do things without money.
“They owe R12 billion to service providers, which is not reflected in that budget. We are in trouble, and I believe this municipality needs intervention,” Ramabodu added.
Speaking at an ANC Gauteng media briefing on Friday, provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi said the DA and its coalition partners had failed to pass the budget because they chose not to consult other parties for support.
“When a municipality has half of the people having a different view, and you want to table a budget that excludes that half, that budget will fail.
“The DA rushed to table that budget; they should have requested a meeting with all other political parties in the council and asked how best do we have a budget that incorporates everyone,” he added.
Lesufi said:
He refrained from commenting on the legislative aspects of whether the metro could be placed under administration, saying the DA’s accusations the ANC was intent on winning power through the backdoor were political untruths.
The DA expressed disappointment in the budget not being passed, but the party’s Tshwane caucus leader, Jacqui Uys, said efforts to place the City under administration would be fought.
It is unclear whether the provincial government would be eyeing taking over the metro.
The last time it did so, in March 2020, the decision was deemed illegal by the Constitutional Court.
Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mzi Khumalo erred on the side of caution, saying he would be consulting on the matter in Tshwane within the prescripts of the Constitution.
“The failure by the municipal council to fulfil its statutory obligations poses a clear threat and present danger for the residents of Tshwane as the provision of basic services to residents may be adversely affected,” Khumalo said in a statement on Friday.
The Constitution provides for various methods of intervention for assisting a struggling municipality, with one of these including an administrator being appointed to oversee a recovery plan.
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