Protesters disrupt De Lille's budget speech

Protesters aligned to the Social Justice Coalition disrupted City of Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille's budget speech on Wednesday.

De Lille was forced to stop reading her speech as the protesters stood in the public gallery refusing to cease their protest.

Acting speaker‚ Benedicta van Minnen‚ had ordered that they stop the protest or be removed from the gallery.

The group were wearing masks bearing De Lille's face and carried banners which read: "Cape Town is not for poor people. "

Another one read: "I am Patricia de Lille‚ as long as I am mayor‚ you are going to use these pota-pota things." Another banner claimed the city's budget was not for the poor.

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The group was then quickly removed by security allowing De Lille to continue with her speech.

She told council that the DA had a mandate from the voters who gave her party a two-thirds majority after last year's local government elections.

Contacted after the incident‚ the coalition through spokesman Axolile Notywala said the protest was about showing the true City of Cape Town.

"It's a budget that discriminates against poor and working class residents of this City and treats them as second class citizens.

"It's not geared upon development for the poor and the majority of those living in informal settlements‚" Notywala said.

In her speech‚ De Lille said the proposed budget for the city was R 44‚3-billion.

The budget will be finalised and approved in May after public participation.

De Lille proposed water tariff hikes and said rates will go up by 5%‚ electricity by 3‚34%‚ refuse collection by 6‚51% and water by 17‚25%.

She said the water tariff increase will only be felt by those who used in excess of 50 kilolitres per month.

"Whilst the hike in the water tarrif is considerate‚ the current drought crisis has heavily impacted the provision of this service‚ " De Lille said.