Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has called on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to announce incentives for household energy security, a national subsidy for local governments to ramp up solar photovoltaic (PV) installations and a commitment to fast-tracking the devolution of passenger rail to the City of Cape Town in the Budget speech to be delivered on February 2022.

"We need national government’s support for households and businesses to rapidly scale up solar power generation. We are hoping to see significant tax rebate incentives to install solar while staying on the grid to sell power for cash. In this way, more and more people can help us end loadshedding over time," Hill-Lewis said.

A national solar PV subsidy for local and provincial authorities would further enable the rapid installation of small-scale embedded generation at public buildings, schools, hospitals and housing rental stock. This would enable more publicly owned facilities to contribute to energy security and become more sustainable by selling power for cash, he added.

The City of Cape Town was also keen to get its trains running again should national government devolve passenger rail to the city.

"We are hoping to see a medium-term budget commitment to fast-tracking the devolution of passenger rail to cities, so that we can get Cape Town’s once-strong train service running again together with the private sector. Cape Town’s Rail Feasibility Study is already laying the foundation to run passenger rail in the best interests of commuters who desperately need affordable, safe and reliable public transport daily," he said.

However, recent statements by the African National Congress and the delay in national government’s Devolution Strategy, with no definite deadline, are critical points of concern, Hill-Lewis highlighted.

Additionally, the City of Cape Town is engaging the National Treasury on red-tape-cutting reforms to the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and preferential procurement frameworks, he added.

"We have submitted a list of red tape provisions in the MFMA and related legislation that make it that much more difficult for local governments to deliver critical basic services and infrastructure for residents. We are hoping to hear commitment to reforming public finance law in the best interests of citizens while still ensuring the checks and balances needed for good governance," said Hill-Lewis.