What about the water? Jozi budget under the spotlight

Transport‚ public safety‚ economic growth and health are among several priority areas flagged in the City of Johannesburg's latest budget.

Dr Rabelani Dagada‚ member of the mayoral committee for finance‚ delivered the 2017/2018 budget speech in Braamfontein on Tuesday.

Dagada said the budget was guided by fundamental pillars‚ such as the vision to grow the economy and create jobs.

The budget saw an increase from R54.8 billion for the 2016/2017 financial year to a R55.9 billion budget for 2017/2018.

To meet electricity demand‚ a R15.5 billion operating budget was allocated to City Power‚ along with a multi-year capital budget of R3.8 billion.

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The department of public safety saw a proposed budget of R3.3 billion‚ which goes to both the Emergency Management Services (EMS) and the metro police department.

The human and social development cluster was allocated R6.5 billion.

Health was allocated R941 million‚ which is an "impressive" increase on the operating budget of R775 million last year.

The department of community development was allocated R1 billion‚ in an effort to extend operating hours at 10 regional libraries.

• Diepkloof a no-go area as protests eruptBurning tyres and rocks were strewn across roads as service delivery protests erupted in Diepkloof‚ Soweto‚ early on Wednesday. 

The areas of focus are Diepsloot‚ Ivory Park‚ Florida‚ Orange Farm and Ennerdale.

Dagada said "84.7 percent" of the city's budget is dependent on revenue raised by the city.

He said that property tariffs will increase by 6.2 percent‚ close to the SA Reserve Bank's inflation target range.

Though opposition parties disagree with the proposal by the new administration to take away the free water benefit to residents‚ the city's water authority was allocated an operating budget of R9.6 billion.

Parks Tau‚ former mayor of the city‚ said that people should be worried about the allocation.

"There's an increase in the budget but the city is not spending it. We are mostly worried about the water tariff rates of six thousand litres‚" he said.

• Protesters barricade roads in GautengAt least three protests have broken out in Gauteng‚ leaving police occupied with trying to curb the violence. 

"We must be worried as the people of Johannesburg‚ as the budget for city power and transport has gone down. This budget will clamp down on projects like Jozi at Work. What about young people of the city and the public sector?

"Our young people will be affected by this suggested budget as nothing was said about projects that will ensure a decrease in youth unemployment. "

The EFF echoed Tau's concern over the water tariffs.

"We are relatively happy with the budget‚ more especially because it's focused on poor communities. There's a lot we should look at and improve. We don't think he should go ahead with scrapping the free 6000 litres of water‚" said EFF councillor Musa Novela.

"They must find a model that will easily determine who should pay or not."

Residents of Johannesburg have started a petition against the decision of the city to get rid of the free 6‚000 litres of water.

Mayor Herman Mashaba announced a month ago that his administration plans to introduce a system that will compel households that can afford it to pay for the free basic water.

This is the first budget in the city's history that will be tabled by a coalition government.