Brett Herron response to the Western Cape’s Medium Term Budget Policy and Adjustments Statement
26 November 2019
I join Minister Maynier in congratulating the previous administration’s good audit outcomes and appreciate his concern with spiralling national debt, but half his speech seemed to be aimed at the National, not Provincial Parliament. He needs to focus on his new job, which is this province.
Clean audits are great, but they do not equal service delivery. Just a few months ago, the Premier promised that his most expensive Safety Plan would see us “spending R1billion per year,”
Today Minister Maynier said “we made a promise, and we have kept that promise,” but the spending outlined by the Minister shows he is delivering on just 39% (R1.167 billion of the promised R3 billion) of that promise. Where is the remaining 60% of the funds for this provincial project going to come from?
Who will be funding the outstanding R2.8 billion in costs? Is the Province asking the City of Cape Town to take its huge profits from its high water and electricity tariffs to pay for this provincial government as well as local government?
Duplication of government functions is a very stupid, and unnecessarily expensive, exercise. It is something this country cannot afford.
We were promised a R3 billion provincial safety plan. I can only assume that the City of Cape Town will be funding the bulk of the Province’s safety plan after all.
The Provincial Parliament is being asked to approve the transfer of hundreds of millions of Rands, without a plan. With no detail of where or how this money is to be spent.
No plan saying how many policemen and where they will be trained and stationed, or how many vehicles they will require and where these will be based and how people employed by the city will protect residents outside of those boundaries.
The MEC speaks of belt tightening on small issues, but cannot see the expense of a duplication of government.
ends