Fighting poverty and creating a climate for growth and development are the key challenges facing Durban, eThekwini Mayor Obed Mlaba said in his budget speech on Wednesday.
”The budget represents continuity and change. We continue to implement our policies and redressing backlogs in service provision, building our people and growing the economy,” said Mlaba.
The city, he said, needs to prioritise job creation and poverty alleviation over self-enrichment and uncontrolled greed.
”Our efforts to create jobs require a partnership between the private sector and ourselves, and in some instances this has proved useful. We have developed an excellent working relationship with organised business in our province.”
The city’s mandate to provide equitable service delivery, to service all ratepayers equally and to do good business so that residents enjoy a good quality of life remains the same, he said.
”It is simply good business to grow and support the middle class. This is our ratepayer base and the income generators of the city.
”From this group also comes the job creators and those who grow our economy and improve the skills level of our people,” said Mlaba.
Other key challenges for the city include HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, the development of a policy to help street children, rural health services and air pollution.
”Because we want eThekwini to be exceptional, not just average, and the best city in Africa in which to live, we have moved from being the deliverer of services to being the driver of growth and development.”
Flagship projects for which provision has been made in the 2004/05 budget included the International Convention Centre expansion (R150-million), a KwaMashu/Effingham link road (R60-million) and the Point precinct (R33,6-million). — Sapa