It’s all and well to table the numbers, but this money must be used for the betterment of all of Stellenbosch.
This was the reminder from the ANC to Stellenbosch Executive Mayor Jeremy Fasser after he delivered his maiden municipal budget for the 2024-’25 financial year on Friday (30 May).
The total budget quantum for the 2025-’26 financial year stands at R3 383 571 028, of which 81% (R2 741 080 853) is allocated to the operating budget and 19% (R642 490 176) will be spent on capital investment in key infrastructure projects.
Beyond the capital projects the figures that will immediately effect residents’ wallets are the new municipal tariffs. Local property rates will decrease by 18,36% come Tuesday 1 July. All other tariffs will increase: water and sanitation by 6%; refuse removal by 6,9%; and electricity by 9,95%. The municipality will be absorbing the rest of Eskom’s 11,32% increase.
According to Councillor Grechard Petersen of GOOD, the decrease in property rates is of little comfort to residents on the outskirts of the municipal area, as many, himself included, had a 100% increase in their property valuations at the last round of municipal evaluations.
“It is the middle class that bears the brunt of the municipal budget, the same middle class that are already suffering financially,” he said.
Councillor Nokuthula Mananga-Gugushe of the ANC urged the municipality to prioritise housing. In this regard R155 million has been allocated for social housing projects, backyarder support programmes and the development of integrated housing solutions.
These include housing as part of the Adam Tas Corridor Precinct 10, construction of additional housing in Jamestown (phase 2 and 3), and providing around 430 serviced units at the La Motte Old Forest Station.
In Cloetesville R13,9 million will be spent on FLISP housing, seeking to help the “missing middle”.
Despite the monetary commitment Lawrence Seals, chairperson of the Stellenbosch Backyard Dwellers Forum, believes adding backyard dwellers to the housing budget is simply a political gimmick. “We have seen it year in and year out,” Seals says. “This is simply lip service, because until the backyarders are given land to build homes within a decent timeframe, nothing comes of these promises.”
Safety and security will get a R64 million boost with the funds set to help expand CCTV surveillance (R5,8 million) and a fire station in Jamestown to the tune of R25 million.
However, most of this budget will be spent on specialised traffic vehicles, the traffic department’s fleet, the replacement of vehicles and the vehicle fleet of the law-enforcement department.
Mananga-Gugushe urged the municipality to not only erect CCTV cameras in affluent neighbourhoods or the central business districts, but also high-risk areas.
Other major capital projects pertain to water and sanitation, with upgrades, extensions and replacements of infrastructure set to be done.
Residents such as pensioner Lorainne Telemachus of Ida’s Valley hopes some of the R322 million set aside for water supply infrastructure will be spent on upgrading water pipelines in her neighbourhood.
For the past 35 winters, her backyard was flooded with sewage during rainfall.
Telemachus lodged complaints to the municipality on various occasions, but suspected unless larger waterpipes were installed sewage would continue to spill into her backyard, as her property is the lowest in the street and the current infrastructure cannot accommodate the volumes.
“I have had anything and everything you can think of spilled into my backyard. It is a gruesome scene that I continually have to clean up and navigate around to get to my outhouse,” she explains.
Other capital investment includes electricity and energy security (R440 million) and R269 million for roads and traffic management.
“This budget of R3 383 571 028 is not ours,” Fasser said in his closing remarks. “It belongs to the people. It is our duty to ensure every cent is spent transparently and where it is needed most – for all the people!”
