City delivers to poor

As part of our efforts towards building a Caring and Inclusive City and one that is committed to redress, the City of Cape Town makes every effort to provide the highest level of service to all of its residents, with a particular focus on those most in need of assistance.

This is demonstrated by the City's pro-poor and redistributive budget. Of the City's R18 billion budget that is focused on direct service delivery for the 2012/2013 financial year, R10,8 billion, or 57,2% is spent on poorer areas of the city.

The City's Human Settlements Directorate has allocated almost its entire budget (99,1%) to pro-poor spending, i.e. R1,449 billion of R1,461 billion in the current financial year (2012/2013).

The provision of services to our residents does not come without challenges. According to the latest census, the Western Cape, and by extension the City of Cape Town as the most populous area in the Province, has one of the highest rates of in-migration and growth in South Africa, at 30%. Coupled with this rapid growth rate is the need to overcome the legacy of Apartheid-era planning which resulted in inadequate infrastructure and service provision in many areas around the city. In addition to this, due to its being located on a narrow peninsula, there is a scarcity of land in the city.

Despite these challenges, the City has achieved numerous noteworthy successes.

The City has:

* Provided approximately 24 120 housing opportunities to beneficiaries from informal settlements, from the 2006/7 to 2010/11 financial years;

* Provided free basic services to approximately 824 292 residents in informal settlements. These services include the provision of water, sanitation services, and refuse removal;

* Provided 7 141 housing opportunities, including those done through the informal settlements upgrade programme;

* Acquired 63,2 hectares of land for future housing purposes;

* Handed keys to 3 710 residents to their newly-built units;

* Transferred 2 724 title deeds. Another 8 035 will be transferred over the next two years;

* Completed and initiated a number of major human settlements projects across the city - from Scottsdene to Pelican Park and Steurhof to Temperance Town.

The City has increased its targeted spending on the poor every year, with a substantial upward trend over the past six years that far exceeds inflation. This is clear evidence of the City prioritising the needs of the poor and the vulnerable. For example:

* The number of toilets provided in informal settlements has more than doubled, from 14 591 in the 2006/7 financial year to 34 225 in the 2011/12 financial year.

* The budget provision for the provision of sewerage infrastructure has seen a steady increase, from R51 million in the 2006/7 financial year to R130 million in the 2011/12 financial year.

* The spending on provision of water to informal settlements has substantially increased - from R1,3 million in the 2006/7 financial year to R20,2 million in the 2011/12 financial year.

* Since the 2006/7 financial year, 19 899 new connections to the electricity network have been made.

The City has earmarked a substantial portion of its budget to the provision of utility services for poorer areas, i.e.:

* Electricity Services dedicates 52,6%, i.e. R1,9 billion of the R3,6 billion total budget

* Water and Sanitation dedicates 44,3%, i.e. R1,7 billion of the R3,9 billion total budget

* Solid Waste Management dedicates 42,3%, i.e. R832 million of the R1,9 billion total budget

Investment in utilities is critical to improving the quality of life of poorer communities. To this end, the City has spent R679 million from 2006/7 to the present on providing improved service provision in these communities.

In this time period, the percentage of households with access to sanitation on a 1:5 ratio has increased from 47,1% to 88,2%.

Access to water through the provision of standpipes on a 1:25 ratio has ranged between 95% and 100%.

These improvements in service delivery have occurred despite the fact that during this time the number of households in informal settlements has increased by almost 50 000, from 154 761 to approximately 193 951.

From January 2012 to date, the City, in partnership with Eskom, provided approximately 9 577 electrical connections to households in informal settlements across Cape Town - including Doornbach, Mfuleni, Browns Farm, Dassenberg, Dunoon, Khayelitsha, Philippi, Delft, Nomazmo, Enkanini, and Fisantekraal amongst others.

In Enkanini alone, the City allocated R8 million for the first phase of the electrification project, R27 million for the second phase and R54 million for the final phase. The Enkanini electrification project will ultimately see approximately 13 000 service connections being turned on over a number of phases, in an extensive area which previously did not have electricity.

The City and Eskom are in the process of making another approximately 10 651 connections in informal settlements across Cape Town during this financial year, including areas such as Imizamo Yethu, Joe Slovo, Nyanga, Vygieskraal, Kanana, Kosovo, and Sweet Homes, amongst others.

The City's project for the provision of janitorial services in informal settlements is the first of its kind in South Africa and is an important part of our strategy to improve levels of service delivery in poorer areas. Last year the City identified problems with its janitorial services programme in one of its biggest informal settlements - Khayelitsha. The City is therefore working on improving the level of service and is using Khayelitsha as a pilot project to up-scale services.

The City is working in partnership with NGOs and community-based organisations to successfully implement this programme. Monthly meetings are held, and the City carefully monitors the revised roll-out of this service. In addition, the City is evaluating its Policy on Janitorial Services and soliciting public input as part of its development.

The City continually investigates engineering and structural interventions to improve the quality of life of those living in informal settlements.

Re-blocking, for example, is one of the measures used to reduce the risk of extensive fire damage. Structures are arranged in accordance with a community design framework which opens up safer and more dignified public spaces. This enhances security, improves fire prevention and makes service delivery easier.

The City is also currently meeting with suppliers of innovative solutions in the form of fire-retardant paints, innovative shack designs, and safer lighting units. Furthermore the provision of fire extinguishers to communities is currently being tested.

The City of Cape Town will continue to use all resources at its disposal to deliver to all of its residents, with a particular focus on alleviating the plight of poor and vulnerable communities.

Statement issued by Patricia de Lille, Executive Mayor of Cape Town, February 12 2013

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