The truth about the City's spending in poor areas

We are fortunate to live in a time where we have an active and vibrant media, where an issue that requires public attention is critically examined as it happens and the full weight of public scrutiny is brought to bear upon it.

This kind of information-rich environment benefits our democracy. Indeed, it is an integral part of it. There is no greater force for accountability and good governance than the free flow of information and ideas.

When we formed our democracy, we knew that checks and balances would have to be a constant undertaking, and not just a stand-alone event every five years. But given the range of sources that feed our national discourse, it can sometimes be hard to discern the truth.

Many people know that they just have to keep suggesting something often enough for it to take some kind of hold. Lacking any matter of substance, these peddlers of half-truths constantly present their misinformation in repackaged forms.

They know that if they do that again and again, they can confuse some people just enough to hide their own inadequacies. The truth is that, behind all of their posturing, there is no proactive programme of action. We can leave those people and their ethics to their own schemes. But we cannot leave the record without setting it straight.

Some misguided people have suggested that we do not do enough for poorer areas in this city. They paint a picture of a plot to move resources only to wealthier areas. This could not be further from the truth.

Unfortunately, those who make these assertions misunderstand the principle of consolidated development. These false choices do not appreciate the nature of progressive charges and services. A government that gave resources only to rich areas would fail. So too would a government that did the same only for poor areas.

We have to address the legacies of inequality that arose because of Apartheid. If a government only gave resources to areas that paid rates or possibly sustained businesses and did nothing for the poor, it would eventually be overwhelmed by the socio-economic effects of poverty that affect an entire society.

It would be counter-productive because it would mean that the city could not develop as a whole, which would, in the end, reverse any trends of building a sustainable economic environment that attracted businesses. This is to say nothing of the fundamental injustice in a society still recovering from deep historical wounds.

If, however, a government only gave resources to poor areas and did nothing for richer, more economically productive regions, it would undercut those portions of the city that sustain that very cross-subsidisation of the poor. It would take some time, but eventually the city would have depleted the base of resources it had to achieve socio-economic advances that addressed historical imbalances.

There must be balance.

Though a government cannot satisfy all the desires of every individual and every community, it can be fair to everyone. Informed by this understanding of consolidated development, the City of Cape Town has provided resources to the poor.

This administration is committed to giving people who previously had little the resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.

To cut through the web of misinformation and half-truths disseminated by some misguided people, let us consider what the City spent in poorer areas in the 2010/2011 financial year.

Human Settlements (for informal settlements only):

Capital Spend: R95,6 million

Operating Spend: R254,4 million

Total: R350 million

Utilities (for informal settlements only):

Capital Spend: R297 million

Operating Spend: R1, 3 billion

Total: R1,6 billion

Transport, Roads and Major Projects (for all disadvantaged areas, including informal settlements):

Capital Spend: R122 million

Operating Spend: R116 million

Total: R238 million

Community Services (for all disadvantaged areas, including informal settlements):

Capital Spend: R84 million

Operating Spend: R887 million

Total: R971 million

Combined total: R3,1 billion (approximately)

Let us not forget that the figure of R3,1 billion does not take into account all directorates. Nor does it take into account all projects. Nor does it take into account all social programmes. Nor does it take into account all forms of social and financial relief. Nor does it take into account other social services. Nor does it take into account safety services. Nor does it take into account the more invisible measures of good governance that help everyone.

R3,1 billion is a figure that is not absolute. But it is a figure that provides some context to the discussion being conducted in the public domain. In that debate, R3,1 billion is a simple truth against a mountain of complex rumours.

But this figure is no secret. Nor are any of the other amounts we have spent on the city as a whole. As the only metro in the country that openly discusses its finances, it is available to everyone, to examine and engage with.

It is especially available to some who claim to represent the interests of others but do not seem to have done their constituents the courtesy of arming themselves with the facts. We have a legacy of inequality in this country. We have a history of structural disadvantage and discrimination. Since the advent of democracy, we have actually become even more unequal.

We need to do all that we can to address these problems. We know that Cape Town is not as bad as other parts of that country, with studies done by no less an organisation than the United Nations showing that the distribution of inequality is far more entrenched in other metros like Johannesburg. But those studies are relative and they do not make our challenges any less severe. Working together, we can provide opportunities to everyone. It will take time and difficult choices will have to be made.

We can, however, achieve a more just society. But in working towards it, we should always debate our issues honestly.

If people do not face up to the truth, they will never know the full extent of the work that needs to be done.

This article by Patricia de Lille first appeared in Cape Town This Week, the weekly online newsletter of the mayor of Cape Town.

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter