Improving the lives of Cape Town's poor remains a priority for the city - Hill-Lewis

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the main provisions in the city's proposed budget was an infrastructure budget of R12.1 billion for the year ahead, 75% of which will go towards improving the lives of lower income households.

Hill-Lewis said a huge chunk of the budget, which he has labeled as pro-poor, would go towards improving water and sewerage in informal settlements.  

The mayor said that improving the livelihoods of Cape Town's poor remained a priority for the city.

"I'm really proud of those two aspects of this budget because the first job of city is to build infrastructure and to improve the quality of lives for the poor and when you a big whack of a budget like R12.1 billion going on infrastructure in one year, that is going to be the effect of that investment."

Some other highlights in the city's financial plans include a social development package of R4.8 billion and R5.5 billion on safety and security.

The mayor said the city also aimed to spend R764 million on fixing Cape Town's street lights.