Johannesburg - The City of Johannesburg on Friday said it was ahead
of its revenue collection targets and on track to meet goals set in the
2011/12 budget.
"Figures for the first half of the financial year
reflect the robust health of Johannesburg finances and a growing
confidence among ratepayers who contribute to the city's coffers,"
mayoral committee member for finance Geoff Makhubo said in a
statement.
"We are making steady progress to strengthen our
revenue collection service and restore confidence in the integrity of
our billing data," he said.
A revenue roadmap, announced in November last year,
was already achieving measurable results, and the city was getting
positive feedback from ratepayers whose billing concerns were being
resolved.
The figures for the six months - compiled at the end
of January - showed the city collected R11.86bn, 56.6% of the adjusted budget of R23.4bn.
"We have exceeded our revenue targets by R466.2m, and I am confident that we will also meet the 12-month goals,"
Makhubo said.
Johannesburg had a cash balance of over R2bn by
the end of January, "which reflects the healthy financial position of
the city".
"Our new revenue and customer relations system is being
put in place over a 19-month period, but we are already seeing improved
results," Makhubo said.
"We are improving the quality of the customer's
interaction with the city and introducing a step-change in our
collection system."
He said: "Our customers are showing greater
inclination to pay for services such as water, electricity and waste
removal, as they gain more confidence in the data that are reflected on
their bills."
The six-months figures Makhubo referred to showed an
operating surplus of R785.8m against a budgeted surplus of R688.7m.
The city's total operating budget for 2011/2012 was
adjusted upwards by R836.8m to R32.81bn, while the capital
budget increased from R3.72bn to R3.74bn.
Its budget for the 2012/2013 financial year is expected to be tabled in May.