On Thursday, November 18, Geordin Hill-Lewis was officially elected as the youngest Cape Town Mayor during a full Inaugural Meeting of the Council of the City of Cape Town.
The newly elected mayor doesn’t appear to be pulling any punches as he recently announced a R600 million budget will be expanded to free basic services, reports EWN.
During his inaugural address to the council, the new Mayor indicated that improving service delivery and safety, along with creating more job opportunities within the Western Cape will be the top priorities over the next five years.
The 20% increase in budget will be dedicated to basic services for poorer residents in the province.
“It will increase the total amount spent by our city every year on free basic services for the poorer residents from R3.1 billion to R3.7 billion,” he stated.
His right-hand man will be former Springbok rugby player, Eddie Andrews, who was elected as deputy mayor.
While the DA has managed to retain its firm grip on the Western Cape, it had seen a significant drop during the 2021 municipal elections, as per News24.
However, the political party have been vocal about doing more for the province and have announced additional plans that include improving the public transport system, including expanding the MyCiTi bus service, restoring the N2 express route and attempting to take over the passenger rail network.
Taking the podium for the first time Hill-Lewis stated:
“Our journey today must start with the recognition that more and more South Africans are feeling hopeless about the future. So, to the voters of Cape Town and to the voters of the whole country who have lost hope and stayed home on election day, I want to say that we have heard your message loud and clear.
“More of the same isn’t gonna cut it. Words are no longer enough. It is time for fresh thinking.”
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Look! Geordin Hill-Lewis is officially Cape Town’s youngest mayor
Picture: Twitter/Democratic Alliance