Backlash over mayor's call to protect municipal funding

CAPE Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has called on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to shield municipalities from any further budget cuts when he delivers the National Budget today.

- MANDILAKHE TSHWETE

However, the appeal has triggered a fierce backlash from opposition parties, which accuse the DA-led city administration of hypocrisy and fiscal double standards.

In a statement, Hill-Lewis warned that balancing the national budget should not come at the expense of municipal infrastructure grants or service delivery allocations, particularly when these underpin essential services in cities.

"There is more than enough waste and excess that can be cut in national government to balance the Budget, and we are absolutely opposed to any cuts being passed down to municipalities," he said.

Hill-Lewis pointed out that R107 million was slashed from Cape Town's grant funding for the 2023/24 financial year as part of nationwide fiscal tightening.

Despite the reductions, the city claims it has consistently spent at least 99% of all grants since 2020, mainly on upgrading informal settlements and subsidising free housing.

The mayor also reiterated his call for a fairer Equitable Share allocation, based on updated census data that shows Cape Town is on the verge of surpassing Johannesburg as the country's most populous metro, with nearly five million residents.