Attention broadcasters: English soundbite from MPP Deidré Baartman attached.
The DA in the Western Cape welcomes the tabling of the 2024/25 Western Cape Appropriation Bill by the Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, which sets out a R84 billion provincial budget for this financial year.
Over 75% of the R255.29 billion provincial budget over the 3-year MTEF period will be spent on services and infrastructure that benefit our most vulnerable residents. This comes amid another round of National Government cuts, equal to a R6.36 billion reduction to the Provincial Budget over the MTEF, with R1.1 billion being cut from conditional grants to the Western Cape over the same period.
Budget highlights include:
Wellbeing
– R 182.35 billion has been allocated for Health, Education and Social Services over the MTEF, including R80 billion for the Department of Health and Wellness for primary care, home and community-based care, psychiatric hospitals, TB health services and acute care in poor communities. This also includes R75 billion for the Department of Education, which will bolster feeding schemes to the tune of R63 million in this financial year, with increases in each year of the MTEF.
Jobs and Energy
– R 32.12 billion has been allocated to invest in fixed assets, and catalytic and agricultural infrastructure over the MTEF. This will help to put the building blocks in place to allow the private sector to boost growth and job creation.
– R7.50 million is allocated in 2024/25 to make 180 000 Gold Cards travel vouchers available for improved access to opportunities.
– R759.2 million has been allocated to increase energy resilience in the Western Cape, as a stable supply of electricity is the biggest constraint to economic development in the province.
Safety
– R5.08 billion allocated to continued safety interventions, which is a R190 million increase over the MTEF. This includes R1.06 billion to continue with the vital LEAP programme, which sees 1200 officers deployed to crime hotspots in the Western Cape, and R 2.28 billion to improve provincial oversight over SAPS and community-based safety partnerships.
This budget is being tabled in an extremely challenging economic and fiscal environment, driven by the reckless agreement of a public wage increase it could not afford by National Government, but it provides a clear and stable roadmap for expenditure over the next 3 years. The Western Cape will continue its intergovernmental pursuit to have the increase funded by National Government.
MPP Deidré Baartman says: “The Western Cape’s provincial budget is geared towards building a better future for all residents. There is a continued focus on protecting Education, Health, and Social Development from National Government budget cuts. This is especially important for our poorer communities, who depend on these services the most.
The DA in the Western Cape further fully supports the Western Cape Government’s efforts to reach a satisfactory outcome in their intergovernmental dispute on the public wage increase. By making sure that clear guidelines exist for the implementation of wage increases, and who should foot the bill, this will help to provide clarity and will help all provinces to better plan for the future.”