By Emily Setona
PAUL ROUX – During a council sitting held on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Paul Roux, the Executive Mayor of Dihlabeng Local Municipality, Tseki Tseki, tabled a proposed budget of R1.294 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year.
Opening the session with what he described as more than a financial proposal, Mayor Tseki emphasized the importance of fiscal discipline and revenue collection.
“This budget speech will serve as a policy directive,” he said. “To strive towards a funded budget, we shall collect all that is owed to the municipality.”
The proposed Total Operating Revenue stands at R1.163 billion, with a Capital Budget of R131.4 million (excluding internal funding). The total capital budget, including expected internal funding, is R15.5 million for 2025/2026. Projections for the following years include R21.6 million in 2026/2027 and R17.8 million in 2027/2028.
Highlighting institutional capacity building as a key focus area, Tseki announced R1.8 million allocated for employee and councillor bursaries, prioritizing postgraduate degrees. Additionally, R500,000 has been set aside for artisan and skills development, and R3 million for personal protective equipment (PPE), with continued funding planned for future years.
Despite facing strong opposition and concerns over debt and service delivery, the budget was adopted by a majority vote. The move marks a significant, albeit contentious, step forward for the municipality as it now confronts the challenge of turning budgetary commitments into meaningful service improvements for its residents.
