The City of Johannesburg has managed to save over R418 million in the past two years thanks to austerity measures which cut advertising, marketing and travel budgets, among others.

Mayor Herman Mashaba said that in the current financial year, the city had managed to save R12,1 million on top of the initial savings of over R400 million in the previous financial year. The savings achieved through our austerity measures have resulted in a 44 per cent decrease in non-essential spending since the multi-party government took over in August 2016.

“This is a continuation of sustained efforts by the multi-party coalition to ensure that every cent of residents’ hard earned money is used efficiently and directed towards creating real value by improving service delivery,” said Mashaba.

The savings achieved during the current financial year will be redirected into Mashaba’s Diphetogo Project, which aims to bring change to Johannesburg communities by enhancing critical service delivery areas.

“These are evident in addressing our R170 billion infrastructure backlog through the maintenance of traffic lights and street lights, repairing potholes, informal settlement upgrading, and the capacitation of key city departments.”

Mashaba concluded, “As the multi-party coalition government, we will continue in our efforts to ensure we create and maximize on efficiencies for the benefit of our residents.”

Share your thoughts on the savings on the Sandton Chronicle Facebook page

Related Articles: