City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Picture: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
CITY of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the metro was trying to raise the bar on what the public should expect from the government.
Hill-Lewis said the reason they must push harder and do better, and aim higher was so that they can get more people out of poverty.
“Poverty is South Africa’s existential threat. We simply cannot have a future as a society, let alone a successful future, with levels of poverty and unemployment that we see in South Africa,” he said.
Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club, Hill-Lewis said there was a need to grow the economy meaningfully faster to get more people out of poverty and for it to work.
“That is our singular obsession and focus in Cape Town. So if setting higher standards for South Africa, and working to grow our economy faster to get more people out of poverty are our obsessions, we summarise this in the simple phrase when we say that we want Cape Town to be the City of Hope for all residents.”
He stated that whenever the metro spoke proudly of its ambition or accolades or commitment to grow the economy and get people out of poverty, he was asked “What about a place like Khayelitsha? How does this benefit residents there?”
Hill-Lewis said it was a fair question because their mission was to build a City of Hope for all its residents.
“That hope must be seen and felt by all Capetonians, particularly those living in the metro’s poorest neighbourhoods and informal settlements.”
He told a story about the brand-new Kuyasa MyCiti station in Khayelitsha.
“It is a testament to the kind of excellence in service and depth of care that we always want to deliver to the poorest residents of our city.”
The mayor also said they wanted to be known for the quality of service and depth of care for the poorest residents, just as much as we are known for their global accolades.
“That beautiful new station is just one small part of a R7 billion expansion of the MyCiti public bus service that we run, expanding its dedicated red lanes to Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, and Philippi, and connecting to Wynberg and Claremont.
“This MyCiti expansion is a statement of our commitment to communities that are still deeply affected by apartheid spatial planning and gripped by poverty. This is how we envisage the future of these neighbourhoods.”
Two weeks ago, he went to see the completion of a brand new stormwater project in another informal settlement called Kosovo, where there has never been stormwater infrastructure before.
Hill-Lewis described the project as an incredibly complex project trying to weave new pipelines between tightly packed shacks and fighting back the constant unwanted attention of local construction mafia.
“But in the end, this project means that come this next winter, these homes will have proper drainage for the first time and might experience their first winter with dry floors on the Cape Flats.
“This is the kind of life-changing service improvement we want to be known for, as well as those international accolades.“
He also said the stormwater project was one of R4 billion this year alone. They were spending on water projects, pipe projects, and sewer projects almost exclusively in communities like Kosovo and other poorer and working-class neighbourhoods.
Hill-Lewis said the City of Cape Town has the most progressive, most redistributive budget of all city governments in South Africa.
“We are proud of the fact that a full 75% of our record R12bn infrastructure budget in this year is being spent on projects and services that directly benefit lower-income households across the metro.”
He stated that the 75% investment in poorer communities in Cape Town amounted to R9 billion this year alone.
“That R9bn is bigger than the entire infrastructure budget of any other city in South Africa, not a portion they invest in poorer communities.”
He also said the R40 billion the City of Cape Town will spend on infrastructure over the next three years was more than all three Gauteng metros combined.
“We have to do this, or else we will go the route of those metros in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mangaung, and elsewhere. You all know what I’m talking about here – the terrible neglect and decay that follows years – decades – of underinvestment in infrastructure and maintenance.”
Hill-Lewis said they were setting new capital expenditure records every year of this term.
“We’re spending it on the things that really matter and will make a lasting impact in communities that need them most. Our massive pipeline of affordable housing across the city is also a statement of our commitment to unstitching the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.”
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za