Downgrade to Hit Residents Residents Are Likely to Feel the Recent Credit Downgrade of the Tshwane Metro in Their Pockets, an Economist Warns
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Pretoria Moot APRIL 30, 2021 • www.rekord.co.za • 012-842-0300 Visit our website for breaking Moot police arrest six Outreach to carry on in Gesogte toekenning vir local, national and international news. for drug possession 2 spite of Covid-19 drop 3 hoërskool sekretaresse 4 rekord.co.za Downgrade to hit residents Residents are likely to feel the recent credit downgrade of the Tshwane metro in their pockets, an economist warns. Sinesipho Schrieber make them worse. “People are getting tired of paying high Residents are likely to be on the receiving rates while complaining about a lack of end of the Tshwane metro’s credit rating quality services. More people are migrating being downgraded by Moody’s, with a high off the grid because they cannot keep up chance of an increase in local rates and with an increase in rates such as electricity,” taxes. he said. This was according to the chief economist “The municipality without having money at Effi cient Group Dawie Roodt. to ensure that they render services would see Roodt said low revenue-collection and service delivery deteriorating.” increasing expenditure by the metro would Roodt said the municipality needed to possibly see the residents having to pay make sure that it rendered quality services more for services. to encourage people to pay, otherwise the This after Moody’s rating agency fi nances would not get better any time soon. downgraded the metro’s long-term global “Most importantly, they need to spend scale issuer rating to B1 (high credit risk) less, much less that is their best solution to from Ba3 (signifi cant credit risk) last week. their fi nancial problems and manage their The downgrade by the agency meant that fi nances better with controls in place.” the metro was likely to default on paying The rating agency cited the metro’s long-term loans. negative operating results in the fi nancial Roodt said the ratings hindered the year 2020 to weak liquidity position. municipality’s chances of securing loans. “The city’s operating defi cit signifi cantly “Increasing the possibility that Tshwane increased to 7% of operating revenue metro may default on paying their loans according to the 2020 unaudited fi nancial means people will stop lending them money. statements.” “It also means that people who lend them Possible increase in operating expenditure money run a risk of losing it.” such as employee costs, bulk purchases and He said not having access to such loans bad debt provisions were also some of the could aff ect the metro’s ability to deliver reasons behind Moody’s negative outlook. services. Finance MMC Mare-Lise Fourie said they Mayor helps ‘reclaim’ park Roodt said getting the metro’s fi nances were disappointed by Moody’s downgrade. “Tshwane’s long-term national scale While many were relaxing on Freedom Day (Tuesday, 27 April), Tshwane mayor stable could see an increase in rates and rating from Aa3.za to Baa2.za – a signifi cant Randall Williams was at the Venning Park in Pretoria helping ward councillors to taxes. downgrade of fi ve notches. “reclaim” the park. The mayor helped restore some of the amenities at the park which “One of the ways municipalities react to “This is just further proof of the impact had become neglected. This included repainting some of the structures children such situations when their fi nances are in a and contribution to the fi nancial ruin of play on. Local councillors and the mayor believed the park, a historical site, could bad state because of mismanagement is to the city by the irregularly appointed ANC contribute to tourism in the area. Read more on page 2. Photo: Eliot Mahlase increase rates and taxes. “Such increases might not even help to administrators during 2020,” according to alleviate the metro’s fi nancial burdens, but Fourie. 2 PRETORIA MOOT REKORD APRIL 30, 2021 NEWS www.rekord.co.za DA celebrates Freedom Day by ‘reclaiming’ park Mayor helps out with clean-up action at Venning Park. Carli Koch clean-up operations were the Voortrekker Monument, the Koppies monument, as Celebrated on the 27th of April each year, well as the Komjeke Cultural Village. Freedom Day is all about commemorating “These monuments are testament of the the country’s history and the start of quest for dignity and freedom by diff erent democracy. generations and people. The DA celebrated Freedom Day in a “The DA will continue to raise Local police station arrested six men for possession of drugs on Thursday. very special way by reclaiming of Venning awareness in other spheres of government Park in Arcadia, Pretoria on Tuesday. to take responsibility regarding the “Celebrating Freedom Day demands upkeeping thereof,” Bosch said. a special consciousness of who we are, “We trust that our message also hit Moot police bust six where we come from and where we home with the public at large in that we would like to go,” said regional campaign all have a co-responsibility to not turn a manager, Crezane Bosch. blind eye when the provincial and national Mpho Mehlape-Zimu, Gauteng North government fail to fulfi l their mandate in regional chairperson, Fred Nel, provincial this regard. for drug possession chairperson, Tshwane metro, mayor “The DA will no doubt take the lead Randall Williams and Solly Msimanga, again in future to do what is necessary Carli Koch ongoing operation at Melgisedek and provincial leader, were also present of the to secure these historical sites in our surrounding areas. reclaiming of Venning Park. collective identity,” Bosch said. Moot police arrested six men for possession “They are believed to be the ‘runners’ for “The DA celebrated our heritage with “It is with joy and pride that the DA of drugs on Thursday (22 April), after the main dealers meaning that these suspects various events during April with the key conclude this heritage theme as we receiving information that they are selling sell the drugs to customers and only receive message that as a community we need not celebrate Freedom Day at one of the most drugs in and around the area of Melgisedek. a small amount from the main dealers,” to only take stock of our heritage symbols beautiful parks in the city.” The men were arrested on the corner of Breedt said. in Pretoria which is the administrative Bosch added that parks have a special Annie Botha and Johan Heyns roads in He said that the suspects appeared in capital of South Africa,” Bosch said. function in any city. Riviera. the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Friday, “We also need to take co-responsibility “Firstly, they can be viewed as the lungs Captain Anton Breedt of Pretoria Moot, 23 April, and were remanded in custody for of preserving and maintaining these sites of any suburban area where population said police were investigating six cases of further investigation. where such symbols have been placed to density is the reality of modern day living. possession of drugs. Police arrested a total of 142 suspects for constantly remind us of where we come “Secondly, and equally important, is the “The suspects (aged between 23 and 37) various crimes within the Tshwane Central from. fact that parks provide enjoyable and safe were surprised by police at the premises district during weekend crime prevention “As a tangible gesture in this regard the spaces where people from all walks of life after planned and swift action,” he said. operations. DA undertook various clean-up actions can meet and mingle,” she said. Police are currently looking into the Nine police stations, Brooklyn, Villieria, during April to at least make these sites “In so doing we are reminded in our portfolio of the suspects to see if they can be Pretoria Moot, Garsfontein, Pretoria attractive from a tourist point of view and shared humanity and the fact that we linked to any other crimes. North, Sinoville, Sunnyside, Silverton and to highlight the cultural and historical are the same – we all can work and live “Several drugs were seized from the Lyttelton participated in operations such signifi cance of these memorial landmarks and play together on our shared journey suspects and sealed in forensic bags, with a as O kae Molao and high density boosted in our city. towards the future. street value of R1 000. performances. “To remember is to understand and “The message we take home from “These suspects were identifi ed through The police held revolving road blocks, to understand helps us to respect each this event is that we have the right to be stop-and-searches and information-driven other,” she said. diverse, but we are unifi ed in our quest to operations. The sites conducted as part of the be free,” she said. 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