CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis urges the government not to cut municipal or infrastructure funding.
This is as Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana prepares to table his Budget 3.0 today.
Hill-Lewis argues that balancing the national budget must not come at the expense of cities.
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He's warning that further reductions could cripple basic service delivery and infrastructure upgrades.
"We have been victims of this through the years and the consequences are profound for service delivery on the ground particularly in the poorest communities".
"Municipalities cannot cut those services simply because the money is not there anymore," he says.
Hill-Lewis says another concern is that the burden falls on local residents who then find themselves digging deep into their pockets to cover the gap.