Response to Chamber of Commerce letter
8 June 2021
The opinion piece by Mr Jacques Moolman of the Cape Chamber of Commerce on the City of Cape Town's 2021/22 budget refers. Mr Moolman makes certain claims regarding the budget public participation process and the City's staff remuneration that need to be corrected.
Mr Moolman takes a swipe at a few marginal issues of service delivery, but fails to focus on the overall achievement of, for example, supplying water to over one million households, even through a severe drought, functioning roads, an electricity distribution system that has a high level of reliability, a law enforcement service that despite its small numbers fills in for the failing SAPS, a fully functioning fire service, and much more.
Mr Moolman finds it "odd" that "only" 2 000 residents commented on the budget. Given the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, this response is perfectly reasonable year-on-year if one bases it on the data and context around public participations in general.
It should also be noted that the statutory 30-day comment process is not the only public process that informs the budget. The budget is informed by engagement and interaction with residents and communities, and operations on the ground, 365 days a year. The City has many dedicated and experienced officials and public representatives who provide input on the budget process, based on feedback they receive from communities and their hands-on experience and knowledge of the context and needs of these communities. One example of this continuous engagement is the City's active subcouncil and ward committee system.