Cape Town to 'invest more on infrastructure than Joburg and Durban combined': mayor

Cape Town has tabled the biggest capital budget of all metros at R11bn and plans to invest more on infrastructure than Johannesburg and Durban combined over the three-year medium-term budget framework. 

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis revealed this while addressing the city council on Wednesday regarding a comparison of the tabled draft budgets of all metros for the 2023/24 medium-term revenue. 

“We might not be South Africa’s biggest city by population or territory, but ... our ambition is clear. We are building a city of hope for all our residents, no matter where they live in Cape Town and no matter their background,” he said. 

“When tabling our budget last month, we did not yet have the perspective of all other metro budgets. These make for some stark comparisons, with the evidence clearly showing that Cape Town is delivering the most for the poor in South Africa,” he added. 

Cape Town’s 2023/24 infrastructure budget was 35.2% larger than the next metro, eThekwini (R8.1bn), and 59.7% larger than the third-biggest budget, Johannesburg (R6.9bn). 

On a per-capita basis adjusting for population, the city was expected over the next three years to spend 145% more on infrastructure than Johannesburg, South Africa's most-populous city.   

Over the three-year medium-term budget framework (2023/24 to 2025/26) Cape Town would have a 91.2% larger capital budget than Johannesburg (R43.2bn vs R22.6bn) and 116.9% larger budget than eThekwini (R19.9bn). 

“In this year we have worked out that roughly 73% — or just over R8bn — of Cape Town’s R11bn capital budget goes towards critical infrastructure that benefits lower-income households, informal settlements and poorer communities in our city,” said Hill-Lewis. 

Cape Town was the metro with the lowest rates for commercial and residential properties in 2023/24, according to the city.  

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